The Not-So-Prodigal Son Returns
by Rikado
Summary: What do you say to parents you haven't seen in three years? That you're sorry you were kidnapped and taken to Sound? Maybe you'll tell them about the man who turned you into a monster. Or, maybe, you can start off with how much you missed them, your overprotective brother and your optimistic best friend. Whatever you decide to say, this is going to be one awkward conversation.
1. Chapter One: I'm Coming Home

**T** **he** **N** **ot-** **S** **o-** **P** **rodigal** **S** **on** **R** **eturns**

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There are a few things you should know before reading:

 _One_ : I do not own Naruto.

 _Two_ : This started as a drabble and sort of exploded.

 _Three_ : This is in an alternate universe with a modern lifestyle/current technology on the canon map.

And _four_ : After debating it for a while, I used the English version for mentioned countries rather than Konoha or Oto. Sorry if this turns anyone off.

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 **Beta'd by SimplyCliche**

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What does one say to parents they haven't seen in nearly three years?

Walking up that last step and entering through the front door is too strange. What if they don't even live here anymore? For all he knows, they could have moved in his absence.

 _Unlikely_ , Sasuke berates himself. He's been trained to pay better attention to his surroundings. There is still an Uchiha family crest on the mailbox. His nerves are making him careless.

Taking that last step, Sasuke shifts awkwardly on their porch and thinks ringing the doorbell is the right thing to do.

Should he do it now? Isn't ten P.M. on a Tuesday a little too late for visitors? Although he used to live there so technically he's not a visitor, right? Or is he? Maybe his family held a funeral for him years ago after his sudden disappearance.

How is he supposed to tell them he was kidnapped? They must have assumed something had happened after he didn't come home one day, but still; it's a shameful thing to announce. Perhaps he won't have to say anything at all.

How will they react when they see him? Pissed? Well, maybe his Father. 'What kind of kid gets into a car with strangers?' Sasuke pictures the stern man asking.

The kind that gets blackmailed. However, telling them that will bring up more problems.

His mother must have worried a lot about him at first. Now, it's been long enough that he's not quite sure what she'll think.

Then there's his brother, the teenage genius. Definitely not a teen by now, did he worry or have the time to help the police in their search? They must have looked, but it didn't matter. They never found him (which wasn't necessarily a bad thing). In spite of all his struggles, Sasuke is proud he rescued himself in the end. At least he has his dignity in that.

It took a long time, but eventually he was able to escape from the island he was shipped off to. It wasn't as hard as one would think to get away from his captors.

No, the difficult part was getting back here, both physically and mentally. A story he'd think about later.

Taking a breath, he presses the doorbell.

The sound rings through the already quiet house. Although unlikely, it's possible no one's home.

His mother was always a stay-at-home mom. She used to work with Sasuke's father (back before they got married) at the Uchiha Security Office (1). So, she should at least be there if that was still the case.

His father always worked a lot of hours. It wouldn't be too surprising if he isn't home.

Itachi? Who knows if he still lives with their parents. He should be just old enough to have his own place by now...

A chilly, fall wind runs through his white jacket, rattling the wind charm hanging off the dark porch light as it goes on to shake the nearby dying tree leaves.

Sasuke impatiently shoves a fallen strand of hair out of his face.

The silence stretches.

How many seconds have passed? Or has it been a minute?

Shouldn't there have been enough time to get to the door by now?

Maybe this was a bad idea. His family must have forgotten about him and moved on. Who was he to drag up old memories? He could go back to Sound and-

The door opens. Sasuke feels a weight drop further down his stomach. This is the most nervous he's felt in a long time. He has to focus on his breathing so he doesn't take any sharp breaths.

His mother stares.

Sasuke notices her dark circles, but otherwise, she looks like she hasn't aged a day.

Just when he thinks his mother's face cannot pale any further, her mouth falls open. "Sasuke?" Mikoto's voice is hoarse.

Not knowing what to say, he nods.

And that's all it takes. She launches herself at him and squeezes. She's just as warm as he remembers - warmer even.

"My baby! Where have you been?! Wait till your father sees you! Do you have any idea how worried we were? Are you okay? Just - where have you been?!"

She pushes back, her hands on his shoulders. She's looking up at him, eyes wet. "Oh, look how big you've gotten." He is about three inches taller than her now.

The weight has climbed its way to his throat. "I'm sorry" is all he can say in response. He has always hated upsetting his mother.

Choking back a sob, she hugs him again. He finds himself awkwardly patting her back, not having much experience in comforting others.

"Mikoto, what's going on out...Is that Sasuke?!" His father exclaims.

After another moment of disbelief, he now has four arms around him instead of two. This is the first time Sasuke can recall Fugaku voluntarily hugging someone other than his wife. It makes this experience even stranger.

The group hug ends quickly; his mother pulls him inside and closes the door. The house still has the same cinnamon smell it's always had. "You're freezing," she says.

Sasuke shrugs. Despite his long stay in warmer climates, he is used to cave-like temperatures. If anything, it made the decaying smells in Sound more bearable.

"Let's go sit in the living room." Fugaku goes through the Northern archway.

Sasuke quickly takes off his combat boots and follows suit. He sits on the edge of the nostalgic love seat, conscious of the bag on his back.

A tan couch and two matching arm chairs are still arranged the same way around the fireplace but a new picture is now centered above. His father has an arm around his mother; Itachi is sitting off to the right side. None of them are smiling, a somber portrait. It suits their serious family.

To his left, Mikoto fidgets nervously on the couch, looking like she's not sure whether she wants to hug Sasuke again or shake answers out of him.

His father goes first. "Why don't you start by telling us where you've been?"

It's humiliating to admit he was whisked away by a recruiting-blackmailing-crazy who fancied himself a scientist. Did he also mention the rumors of the man being a bit of a pedophile? Rumors generated by the man's bad habits, persona and the fact that the guy preferred to perform his experiments on the young nonetheless. Sasuke had never seen any evidence other than creepy stares and lip licking. His virgin ass survived, but still, his reputation would be more tarnished than it already was.

Back to the point, the Uchiha family is known for their protection and security services. Sasuke is the first one of them to ever have been kidnapped. Although, technically speaking, he ran away. He had gotten into the car with Orochimaru willingly, more or less.

That doesn't make Sasuke any feel less embarrassed. After all, saying he left on his own will make his mother feel more upset.

Therefore: "I was on an island off the coast of Sound country."

He looks up at them; they are waiting for more of an explanation. "It's one of their military testing sites."

"What on earth were you doing there?" His father's nostrils flare. The man has always been lacking in patience.

Sasuke continues as if he wasn't interrupted. "I was taken there for an experiment. The scientist wanted to take Naruto instead... I couldn't let him."

There, the embarrassing truth was out.

They can think whatever they like. Orochimaru was trying to approach the blond. Sasuke, being an Uchiha, wasn't about to let anything happen to the Fire Lord's (2) only son. He had intervened and threatened the curious man to take him instead. Fortunately, the psychopath had humored him and ushered him to the car.

Did Orochimaru know who his first target was? Maybe. Did he care about the possible war that would have caused? Probably not.

Going with him was the best and worst decision Sasuke had ever made. His best friend wouldn't have lasted in Sound. Not only that but the political ramifications that would have occurred had Naruto been taken... Even at twelve, Sasuke hadn't wanted that to happen.

The knowledge that he was paying the price for the safety of his family and friends is what got him through the next three years in hell.

Naruto probably never even noticed his sacrifice. To him, it had to have looked like Sasuke stood him up one day when they were supposed to meet after school. Later, he must have learned that the Uchiha got snatched. That was better than the truth.

"Oh, Sasuke..." His mother grabs his hand and looks at him with clear pity in her eyes. Maybe there is a little bit of pride in there too. She's going to cry again.

Sasuke doesn't know how much more of these feelings he can take. Mostly, he is only used to caution, disgust, frustration, boredom, and, sometimes, a little excitement. Those are normal. These emotions of guilt and shame need to be disposed of. He just wants to leave.

Standing up, he notes that his father is still giving him a dumbfounded look. "I should go."

Mikoto stands, hands now placed firmly on her hips. "Don't. You. Dare. We still have a perfectly good room upstairs with your bed in it. Isn't that right, Fugaku?"

That seems to break the man's uncomfortable stare. "It's a little musty but I'll go retrieve clean sheets."

"Good, I'll make some phone calls. The police need to know our son is back, and I'm sure Itachi would like to see his younger brother."

Sasuke's heart skips a beat. He's almost relieved he hasn't seen Itachi yet. He doesn't need to be judged by everyone in his family all at once. No matter what everyone thought, he would have made the same decision every time. He does not want their pity. Being an experiment wasn't all bad. He'd received some perks. Okay, no, it was still terrible.

Mentally preparing himself for another meeting, he follows his father up the stairs and into his old room down the hallway.

It's just like he remembers it, albeit a bit dusty. A bed in the center, plain white walls, a door leading to a bathroom, and a modest brown desk on the left side across from a chest at the foot of the bed. On the back wall, two blue curtained windows. On the wall to the right, a bookshelf and a small walk-in closet.

The pair silently changes the sheets. After, Fugaku mutters something about calling Minato and checking on his wife and exits the room with the old sheets in tow. This leaves Sasuke to finish putting on the pillow cases and throwing on a comforter. His father probably decided to save any questions for another time when he can stomach more answers.

Done with the task, Sasuke rubs his eyes, shrugs off the backpack and falls onto his bed. He just wants to sleep.

The past few days he's only been able to squeeze in a nap here and there. It wasn't easy finding a way to travel back to Fire country. It doesn't help that his time in Sound has trained him to wake at the slightest noise or change in air pressure. Unfamiliar environments are the worst places to get any sleep…

* * *

He is lying down on his bed, a cheap cot in the corner of his dark room. He doesn't have a blanket but at least he has his own space. Not everyone here is so fortunate.

He rolls onto his back and ignores a scream. After seven months here, he's almost learned to sleep through them by now. However, that last one seemed to be more high-pitched than usual. Orochimaru must be working on something new. Something painful.

Sasuke hopes it fails. He doesn't need them to try it out on him too. He's had enough modifications. Honestly, he's surprised he's still alive.

The screaming continues and then there are scales. Scales. Moving over his leg. Dammit! Another snake is in his room.

It seems to be curling around his calf. He subtly looks down and makes out the figure. His eyes adjust, everything lightens and switches to shades of green and black. It makes it difficult to tell the color of the reptile, but Sasuke recognizes that pattern. This snake, in particular, seems to like to crawl into his room once a week or so and curl up for warmth. If it would go back above the ground, it wouldn't have to deal with the cold temperatures here.

Sasuke leaves it be. It's not like he was going to get much sleep tonight anyway.

Suddenly, a familiar scent hits his nose.

Sleeping gas!

Jumping up, he ignores the hiss and the bite to his leg. There are more important things than poison he's practically become immune to.

Sasuke can't breathe. He stumbles to the door to find it locked. Not surprised, he tries pulling on the handle anyway. It doesn't-

* * *

The sound of the carpet getting pushed down near the end of the hall alerts his conscious mind. His eyes snap open, left hand automatically going for the switchblade in the pocket of his pants. His thoughts catch up to his actions. He's at his parent's house, not in some underground research facility. He releases the handle and closes his eyes.

It's hard to judge how long he has nodded off for. His stomach feels a little squished from lying on it so... maybe an hour?

The footsteps are heading this way.

Not too long after, a knock sounds on his open door. He already knows it's his mother without looking just by the faint smell of her vanilla perfume. He opens his eyes to be polite.

"Sorry, I wanted to let you rest a little more but I couldn't help myself. Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate? I can warm up some leftovers from dinner."

He rolls over and sits up, never one to pass up his mom's cooking. It has been a while since his last meal.

"I'll follow you into the kitchen."

Pleased, his mother gives him a smile and turns back. "Your brother will be here in an hour, I'll prepare something for him as well."

He follows her downstairs, through the hallway and the area with the breakfast nook before they get to the kitchen. "What has Itachi been up to?"

"School and work mostly. He went back to the university to get his doctorate. This is his last semester before he graduates." Mikoto opens the fridge and pulls out some Tupperware.

Sasuke has to raise an eyebrow. For Itachi, that was probably taking it slow. He had just earned his master's degree when Sasuke left. Itachi was fifteen. He seemed content working with their father at the time.

"He's not planning on taking over the family business?"

"He's been working the job on the side. After you disappeared..." Sasuke's mom pauses after setting a pan out on the stove. "Well, let's just say Itachi became distracted."

"Wha-" Sasuke starts.

"Anyway," his mother cuts him off, "I notified the agency and local police station. We will be going down there following a scheduled check-up with the Tsunade tomorrow morning." She turns back to put the leftovers in the pan making it clear the conversation was over.

Sasuke stares at her back. His father and mother were very adamant in teaching their kids manners. Although Itachi seemed to be instinctively born with them, it took Sasuke a little while longer to perfect them. Now, here she is, cutting him off to the change the conversation. Alarm bells inside his head flare.

Something strange happened to Itachi. That wasn't the worst of it, though... they scheduled Sasuke a doctor's appointment. Did they not hear him when he told them he was an experiment? Or maybe it was because they heard him.

Fuck.

Is there a way to get out of it? They're not going to like what they find. Maybe he could play the trauma card? Could he handle the embarrassment if he did? Were they going to make him see a therapist next?

"I'm going to add some vegetables, how does a salad sound?"

"Fine," Sasuke absentmindedly replied to his mother. Tomorrow is going to be even worse than tonight. What if they kept him in the hospital longer so they could do more tests? What if Fire's government got involved? If they wanted a weapon, Sasuke was already planning to start working for his father straight away. But he was going to do things on his terms. Not theirs.

Sasuke did not come back so he could be a lab rat/soldier again. He just wanted what was left of his life to be normal(ish). See the family, make sure his ex-best friend was living a good life, attempt to start an alliance between a broken Sound and the thriving Fire Nation, and work in the family business. Those were the only things he wanted.

He was going to make sure he got them.

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 **-A N-**

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(1): In this world, the Uchiha Security Office (USO) is like the Secret Service. Sort of.

(2): Not a reference to Avatar. This is not a crossover nor do I like adding OCs to the fanfiction that I write. Also, I didn't feel right using the "Kage" title as I'm already using the English names of Sound and Fire.

Questions and comments are very much welcomed. Let me know what you think of this piece. As mentioned, this was supposed to be a drabble/one-shot so I might keep it this way if no one protests. However, I ended up writing out quite a few more chapters for myself and wholly intent to keep doing so. Let me know if I should share or if I should keep this a single chapter.

P.S. I'm aware that I should be working on my other story, HTURW but I've been a little stuck. I'm not giving up on it, I just find this one more enjoyable for the mean time. It's fifty times easier to write. Chapters are about 1,000-2,000 words shorter than I normally do but that would just mean faster updates.


	2. Chapter Two: Eggshells

**Chapter Two: Eggshells**

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(Tuesday/Wednesday)

It doesn't take long for his mom to finish heating up dinner. She sets out two plates on the counter and starts dishing out the pasta.

"You've been quiet, something on your mind?"

"Not anything special," he shrugs, silently counting all the tomatoes she adds to his portion. He likes the fruit but this is a little extreme.

She notices his stare and gives him a wink. "I thought I'd give you some extra. Who knows when the last time you ate fruits and vegetables?"

"I actually had some this morning on the way here."

"Good. So, what-" she is interrupted by the sound of the front door.

Sasuke lets out the air he was holding. He doesn't want to answer more questions about his time in Sound. His parents were always good on only focusing on the present. Any arguments or awkward interactions the night before had always been ignored. He doesn't want them to change things now.

"Mother!" Itachi calls out despite the fact that it's near midnight.

"We're in here, Dear. You got here fast." She looks back from the open entrance to pour a second cup of water out of the filtered pitcher.

His older brother comes rushing to the kitchen and momentarily freezes. Sasuke is able to get a good look at him. He appears mostly the same. The hair is a little longer and his face is thinner than it ever has been. The shadows under his eyes change his appearance to a man older than one in his early twenties.

"Shit. You've gotten old." Surprisingly, this comes from Itachi.

"Itachi, watch your language!"

Ignoring their mother, Itachi approaches him with a stiff stance.

Sasuke has always had trouble reading his brother. His facial expression was normally neutral, and his body movements never give anything away. Even now, with his military training, it's hard to tell what the man will do next.

Itachi's right index finger twitches, maybe a punch then? It would make sense; he did cause them a lot of trouble.

Sasuke mentally braces himself but tenses up even more when he receives a hug instead.

"You can't just... go away like that," is whispered harshly into his shoulder.

It's both sad and relieving to know Itachi has missed him just as much as he missed his brother. It is hard to admit, but he had been scared his older sibling would hate him when he got back.

Itachi has always been one of his most important people. Before leaving, Sasuke was closer to the young adult than he was to his parents. It was hard for anyone to dislike Itachi. His calm, gentle but imposing demeanor earned him a lot of respect. Not only did he have good looks **and** an impressive IQ, he had a talent with athletics. It's not much of a stretch to say his brother can accomplish anything he puts his mind to.

For Sasuke, Itachi was always unreachable in many aspects. He may have resented the older a little for his perfection but it seems silly after the years Sasuke spent away from his family.

Disregarding a suspicious sniffle coming from his mother, he lets himself relax into this hug.

Closing his eyes, Itachi smells like _home_. The cucumber melon scent reminding him of the times his brother would carry his on his back. Also, there was a subtle coffee aroma underneath. Despite the fact that Itachi spent a great deal of studying, he always would make time for Sasuke when he could. Time, he could have spent with friends or classmates instead. Itachi was never one of those brothers that got embarrassed or annoyed by his younger brother.

Feeling a little twitchy, Sasuke decides the hug has been going on for a little too long and pulls back. If finding out Sasuke was taller than his mother wasn't strange enough, being the same height of his older brother is jarring.

"It's hard to believe he's here with us now, isn't it?" His mother adds.

"Yes, I was worried I'd never see him again." The comment is directed to Sasuke.

Instead of meeting his brother's gaze, he focuses on the plate in front of him. He is not used to being so open with his feelings. With _their_ feelings. "Well... I made it back. Do you want some spaghetti?"

"I heated some up for you as well." Mikoto chimes in.

"I've had dinner already but I could eat a little." Itachi breaks his gaze and makes himself comfortable at the island counter.

Joining him, Sasuke reaches over for his glass of water and uses the noodles as an excuse to keep his mouth occupied.

Mikoto starts some small talk and asks Itachi how fast he was driving to make it home in an hour. Itachi waves her off and brings up his schooling.

Sasuke is done with his food after listening to a brief story about an assignment the brunette recently completed and downs the rest of his water.

His mother catches him eyeing Itachi's barely touched plate.

"Finished already? I don't have anymore but I can fix something else," Mikoto asks him during a quick pause of the conversation.

"Not necessary. He can have the rest of mine."

Without wasting a second, Sasuke pulls over what's left of his brother's spaghetti and finishes that off too.

"My, you have a big appetite. Did they not feed you in Sound?"

Itachi stills at the mention of their neighboring country.

"They fed me plenty. I just need a lot of food to keep me going now."

"You must be going through a growth spurt." His mother yawns.

If only that was the case.

They are waiting for a response. Sasuke doesn't feel like giving them one and shrugs.

Itachi catches on. "Whatever the reason, we can talk about it another time. You look as tired as I feel. Mother, we should go to bed soon."

"You're right," she says after a moment and turns around to clean up.

Itachi stands and walks around the counter to help. With Sasuke joining in, it hardly takes any time and they all head upstairs. Mikoto makes sure Sasuke knows they need to leave to house tomorrow by eight for an early start.

Sasuke nods his head in confirmation and Mikoto goes off to bed with a smile after a quick hug.

Before heading off to their separate rooms, Itachi stops his brother with a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Little Brother."

"I'm not so little anymore."

Itachi frowns. "I know."

Ignoring his brother's hurt expression he says the only thing that will rescue them from more eggshell conversations. "Goodnight then. I'll see you in the morning."

The hand gets taken off. "Yes, you will."

Sasuke turns and goes into his bedroom, making sure to close the door.

Tomorrow is going to be painful but at least today is over. In fact, the next day could even be worse but as Naruto used to say: "baby steps".

Sasuke goes over to his black bag and pulls out the pair of sleeping pants and his towel. Not much is left in there. A bottle of pills, a comb, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, three USBs, and one extra change of clothes. He finished the meal substitution bars on the way here. Minus the pills and USBs, everything in there is replaceable in case he needs to ditch the thing on short notice.

Not sure if his bathroom is still stocked, he opts to just take the whole bag.

He spends some extra time in the shower, a hot shower; because it's a luxury he hasn't had it a long time. Rinsing off in Sound was short, cold, and usually public.

Picturing his father knocking on the door and telling him to stop wasting water, he reluctantly turns off the tap. It's an almost nice thought. He's definitely missed this.

Toweling off, he takes his medicine, brushes his teeth and changes into night clothes before plugging in an old alarm clock, turning off the lights and getting into bed.

The sheets are cold and silky. It's a strange sensation.

He tries to empty his mind.

He wonders how his crew is doing in Sound.

Doesn't matter, he needs to sleep.

It's not long before his body heat warms up the sheets. Hot, Sasuke pushes off the blankets and rolls to his left side.

Clearing his mind of any stray thoughts is easier said than done. Maybe he is having trouble because of the nap he took today. Still, he is exhausted so he should fall asleep any minute now.

Yes, any minute now...

The window is bothering him. It's not like someone is going to jump through it here in Fire Nation but someone could have followed him. No, he made sure to cover his tracks very carefully.

Sasuke huffs and sits up.

Staring at the blurry red numbers showing 2:37 A.M., an idea forms in his head.

The bed is too soft. Not bothering to turn on the lights, his eyes adjust and he makes his way into the bathroom. The tub is mostly dry from his earlier shower but he uses his towel to wipe down any stray drops of water just in case.

Getting in, he uses the same towel to prop up his head and tilts it slightly to the left.

He folds his arms across his chest. It's better, safer, and more familiar. Weird? Yes, but it works.

He feels himself lightly doze off not too much longer.

No dreams tonight. He wakes up to shift his torso and tries to get comfortable again. It doesn't happen. Looking through the open door he notes it's nearly 5:00 A.M.

He's only going to be more tired if he tries to get more sleep now.

Climbing out, he stretches to get out the kinks. His neck is annoying him a little but it will pass.

Smoothing down the back of his hair that has decided to stick up, he goes for the black jacket in his bag.

He could use a run.

Shrugging it on, he opts to go without a shirt underneath. He is more used to this style and it's more practical. It's one less article of clothing to wash.

Ignoring the light layer of dust, Sasuke stops by his old desk and finds some sticky notes in the drawer he last left them in.

Not wanting to alarm his parents again, he scribbles a quick note to leave on the door.

/ _Out for a run._

-Sasuke/

After sneaking down the stairs, making sure to avoid any squeaky floorboards, he grabs a water bottle out of the fridge, pulls on a pair of Nikes by the front door and slips outside. Hopefully, Itachi won't notice his shoes are gone. Luckily for Sasuke, they're about the same size now. Combat boots are good on missions but make shitty running shoes.

Sasuke pulls up his hood. He doesn't need everyone to know about his return right away. Besides, covering his head is a familiar and comforting gesture.

He does a few stretches and starts off with what most would call a fast pace. Because of his training, he is used to doing about forty miles (1) in two hours.

The air is chilly; he's a bit surprised there isn't much frost on the nearby lawns.

Not planning to go to a specific place, he runs out of the neighborhood and takes a left.

The dark houses all look exactly how he remembers. Some have the same gardens, others have newer cars but everything is mostly the same.

He exits out of the suburban area, taking him on the sidewalk along one of the busier roads, he sees only one car.

It's when he's passing by his old elementary school that he decides to run through the nearby park for old times' sake. That's when he sees another jogger. He knows that stubborn white hair.

Kakashi used to work for his father, probably still does. He's one of the best they have on the payroll.

The man also used to train Sasuke in judo and karate and had a special talent for irritating others. In fact, he seemed to take a sadistic glee from doing it. Back then, one of Kakashi's favorite methods was reading erotic literature during a spar and fluently dodging all Sasuke's attacks, ignoring the youngster. It aggravated him and Naruto (his fellow trainee) to no end. He swore to himself that one day he'd burn that book and get his revenge.

Sasuke finds himself smirking. Kakashi hates losing. It's time for a little payback.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

I don't own Naruto or Nike.

(1): I'm aware that average run times are about twenty to twenty-five miles in two hours for healthy runners. However, Sasuke isn't so average in this fic. )

If any of you are wondering when Naruto will show up, eventually he will, but first Sasuke has to sort out his life a bit.

 **Next time** : Sasuke annoys Kakashi and we get to learn a little more about his time in Sound.


	3. Chapter Three: R Is For Revenge

**Chapter Three** : "R" Is For Revenge

* * *

(Wednesday)

The teen makes sure to pick up his pace, running almost at a regular sprint. "On your right," he mutters as he goes around the carefree man.

It takes him a little under five minutes to go around the mile long trail two times and lap Kakashi at the halfway point.

"On your right," he calls again, noting the man has sped up a bit. Surprisingly, the plan is working.

Sasuke approaches him a third time. "On your right," he notes with smug satisfaction that the older man is breathing a little bit heavier than before. It's not enough. Kakashi has always been difficult to rile, but at least it's progress.

Sasuke's sixth lap finally earns a response. Right as he's about to pass the man, he gets: "That's some stamina you've got there, Kid."

Not bothering to say anything back, he goes for the seventh time. The sun is pretty high in the sky as he approaches his old teacher again.

Kakashi throws a look over his shoulder. "You're doing this on purpose. Do I know you?"

Dodging to the left this time to hide his face, Sasuke doesn't answer. He decides to give up the game (for now) and exits the park. Kakashi is smart, and sometimes a gossip. Sasuke doesn't need people bombarding him later today. His family should be making a formal announcement soon to avoid new rumors. Sasuke wouldn't mind waiting longer (forever) for the statement to get out but, like a Band-Aid, it's better to get it over.

He's spent enough time outside anyway and should go back if he wants to shower and have breakfast before they leave.

He slows down a bit after he gets out of the park. Rolling up his black jacket sleeves, he pauses near a recycle bin to down the rest of the water bottle from his pocket and tosses it in.

The roads are waking up a bit on his way back, and the frost has partially melted in places by the time he arrives on their front porch. He stretches and hesitates only for a couple of seconds before deciding just to walk in. The smell of his mother's pancakes hits him as he enters.

He takes off Itachi's shoes and goes straight to the kitchen for a drink.

"There you are," his mother greets, washing her hands in the sink. She's dressed for the day and wearing a dark blue apron. Sasuke spots Itachi setting up the table their father is sitting at in the dining room.

"I left a note on my door," he goes over to the fridge and grabs another water bottle. The cold air escapes and hits his clothed legs as he shuts the door.

"I know, I saw it, but I didn't think you'd be out for so long. You're all sweaty." She frowns at him, drying her hands on a cloth.

He drains the bottle and goes to fill it up again from the filtered tap. "I ran about… twenty-three miles in two hours, of course, I'm sweaty."

He could have run farther at a faster rate, but he didn't want to draw much attention to himself. Ah, if only he could have gone at his fastest speed and lapped the man fourteen times. That would be an expression worth seeing.

His mother hands him the same towel to wipe the perspiration off his face.

"Are you training for a marathon?" Itachi dryly asks from the other room.

He finishes wiping off his forehead. "No, just getting some exercise."

Fugaku finally looks up from his newspaper. "What are you wearing?"

Sasuke looks down to see a sweaty, defined six-pack on display under an unzipped jacket with his happy trail starting from his bellybutton leading down into the black sweats. A bit too risqué for this family but he liked the jacket because the hood was long enough to hide his face.

"I need to do some laundry," is his excuse.

"More like some shopping," his father looks back down at the paper.

"We can do that afterward." Mikoto carries a pitcher full of orange juice to the table.

Sasuke mentally groans. He hates shopping. Especially with his mother. "Can't you do that during my appointments?"

"And leave you by yourself? Nice try, besides," she adds as an afterthought. "I don't know what will fit you now."

"We're about the same size now. You can see if any of my clothes fit. Not like that, though, you smell," Itachi kindly informs him as he gets silverware out of a drawer near Sasuke's hip.

The teen tucks the towel in his pocket to take with him. "I'll take a quick shower and be back down for breakfast."

"You'd better hurry, we leave in thirty minutes." Mikoto finishes filling up the glasses on the table.

"I will," he calls, heading back to his room.

True to his word, he takes ten minutes to shower and put on his other change of clothes-making sure to slip one of the jump drives in his pocket- before heading back down for breakfast. They have already started without him, but it doesn't bother Sasuke as he finishes eight pancakes and helps with the cleanup.

Itachi heads upstairs to catch up on homework and their father leaves for work saying he'll meet them at the station later. Mikoto takes her son out to the garage to get in her car. Sasuke clips on his seat belt and they're off to the clinic.

His mother talks about how glad she is that she made extra food this morning in light of his "healthy appetite" nearly the whole way there. Sasuke mostly tunes her out as he goes over the plan.

When they arrive, he climbs out of the blue convertible, and they make their way to the waiting room. Unluckily, this seems to be a favorite time for a visit. Sasuke slips into a chair near the back. Hopefully, there won't be anyone there who will recognize them.

The Lady Uchiha goes to check in and makes herself comfortable on one of the waiting chairs next to his. As she fills out his information on a clipboard, Sasuke looks up and spots a television mounted on the wall to the left. The news is showing. It's better than some gossiping talk show or magazine.

A name flashes on the bottom of the screen that catches his full attention. He checks to see if his mom is paying any attention, she's not.

"... After his strange appearance two years ago, Sound's vigilante, Taka, has been strangely quiet as of late. It's most likely due to the crime rate, which, within the last month, has drastically plummeted." The female news anchor states. "While it was nearly impossible to get into the country before, the borders have now been opened for trade as per the demand of its newly appointed leader."

Movement for the corner of his eye makes him look at his mother. She's now focusing on the T.V. It's moved on to Kimimaro's (1) press announcement delivered recently.

"Now that we have graciously been freed from the oppression of dictatorship, our government has reformed as a democratic republic." The young man pauses for the cheering to die down.

"For too long have our citizens lived in poverty while the Feudal Lord sat back and allowed Orochimaru to leech all the funds for his twisted experiments. For too long have our children starved while our previous leader grew fat. For too long have the poor been denied an education and financial aid. For too long have our young men been stolen and drafted into the militia. No longer will we suffer! WE. ARE. FREE!"

More loud shouts and whistles. Sasuke is impressed, the usual stoic-faced man he worked with in Sound is giving a motivational speech. Karin must have written it.

"We have many natural resources and much to offer neighboring countries. We will establish more trade networks. The money will come, public schools will be built, and the hungry will be fed!" Kimimaro doesn't he wait for the happy exclamations to quiet down this time. Instead, he yells the end of his speech into the microphone. "We will rebuild. And we will thrive!"

He wouldn't be heard anymore if he continued. The pale haired man backs away from the podium, and Juugo shows up on his left to escort him off the stage. The T.V. flashes to a commercial.

"That was moving, they chose a good man for the job," his mother comments.

"Hn," Sasuke grunts, hesitant to agree. He receives a questioning glance.

Out of the choices, Kimimaro was indeed the best candidate for the Lord of Sound with his experience in politics, but he has a fatal flaw: he is loyal to a fault.

You wouldn't think that a bad thing but when "Taka" (2) killed the military scientist (a kill Sasuke will never regret), he and Kimimaro got in a deadly fight. Sound's top two soldiers fighting against each other was a fierce battle. Eventually, the weaker one was subdued in the remains of Orochimaru's office. Bones broken and defeated; the green-eyed man lied still on the wreckage of the floor. He told Sasuke a story about how the man with long black hair had saved a boy and gave him a new purpose in life.

Growing up, Kimimaro had been confined to his home because of his father's high political position in Water country. The boy was home-schooled and never allowed outside. When his father and all other members of his family got assassinated (Sasuke suspected by Orochimaru), the young albino had nowhere to go. The scientist then magically appeared and took Kimimaro under his wing.

Uncomfortable at the time, Sasuke responded with a necessary Naruto-like answer telling Kimimaro to be more like his father. The man who got killed for his ethical beliefs in a corrupt country. Not the one who hurt innocent children and turned them into monsters. Now that Sound was without a leader, they needed someone to step up to the plate who could help the country climb out of depression and poverty.

As per regulations of Sound, the role would typically fall to the one who overpowered the previous leader. Having killed the Feudal Lord and Orochimaru (who pulled his strings), Sasuke would be a hunted man if he didn't take up the ruling position. However, if the ambitious teen wanted to accomplish his goals, he needed to be in Fire Nation. He would be better suited for the role of diplomat. Someone else needed to rule Sound.

Someone who had experience with politics.

Someone who Sasuke had connections with and could influence.

Overall, Kimimaro's advantages far outweighed his disadvantage.

Luckily, after the albino started his recovery, he did step up. Taka was officially pardoned and an offer to become a member of Kimimaro's personal guard along with Suigetsu, and Juugo was issued. He politely declined and took more of a freelance position. The citizens were pleased with a leader who wasn't Orochimaru or Kabuto (who mysteriously disappeared) and seemed to have taken quite a liking to the young man after this speech.

Sasuke can only hope that Kimimaro stays loyal to him. And to sound.

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

* * *

(1). Take on Kimimaro. I realize Canon Kimimaro is extremely dedicated (even till death) to Orochimaru because the man gave him a sense of purpose. In this story, I had to turn him into a political figure because I didn't want to insert an outside character. So, he was dedicated to Orochimaru, but when they fight after the older man's death, Sasuke gives him a new purpose. Thus, his extreme loyalty in now placed in Sound country and in Sasuke. Plus, someone needs to be around to keep Juugo in check. ;) Regarding the fact that his character is usually stoic, it/he still is. Just a little acting had to be put forth to revitalize the crowd.

(2). Obviously, Taka is Sasuke. When I first imagined this story, the name of Sasuke's identity in Sound was "Chidori." It just seemed to fit. Thinking more about it, "flapping one thousand birds" isn't quite the right name for such a stealthy soldier. Not to mention, it was the name of a technique and not an identity. But for the record, I still prefer "Chidori" over "Taka." I'm curious, which is better? I'm still debating over the change.

I hope that it's not confusing that Sasuke refers to himself by both his name and by his Sound identity. Differentiating the two is important. We will see more of this later as the story progresses. :)

Questions and comments are always welcomed.

 **Disclaimer** : Undoubtedly, I do not own Naruto.

 **Next time** : Sasuke sees Tsunade and has an interrogation with a Hyuuga.


	4. Chapter Four: Inquiries

**Chapter Four: Inquiries**

* * *

(Wednesday)

"Mikoto!" The name starts Sasuke out of his thoughts. He's grateful they called the name that would attract the least amount of attention. Uchiha or Sasuke would have been much too obvious. Tsunade has a smart assistant.

Sasuke stands. "Mother, I realize this is going to bother you, but I'm going to have to request that you stay here."

Unsurprisingly, he receives a heavy sigh, dropped shoulders and a disappointing look from the still sitting woman.

"I would feel more comfortable meeting Tsunade alone," he continues in her silence.

"So, you just expect me to stay here." Her voice is quiet.

Sasuke inwardly cringes. "Yes."

He holds his palm out for the clipboard.

"Fine," she pouts, handing it over. "We only scheduled a basic checkup, so, I will respect your privacy. However, I _will_ be talking with Tsunade about the results."

"I understand." Step one is complete. He turns to follow the nurse through the white door near the reception desk after giving her the information clipboard.

They make their way down the long hallway and through some turns before they arrive in a sterile medical examination room.

"I'd like to meet Dr. Tsunade in her office."

The nurse with the name tag "Shizune" closes the door. "You're not going to get out of this exam. The doctor will be in here soon. Please change into the gown."

With a (forced) polite smile, she closes the door.

Sasuke turns to look at the flimsy paper outfit left in the corner. There is no way in hell he is putting that shit on.

Taking a seat on the paper cover of the chair, he patiently waits for Tsunade to arrive. It takes maybe ten minutes before the door opens.

"Sasuke," the blonde woman greets. "It's been a while; I was shocked to receive that emergency phone call last night. You're lucky I owe your mother a favor. Normally, I have a very busy schedule." She shuts the door and smirks "Why aren't you in your gown?"

The teen gives her a disgusted glare.

"Oh, don't be like that," she waves him off. "I took time out of my busy schedule to do this after all. Usually, this would be Shizune's job."

Sasuke reaches into his pocket and pulls out a jump drive. "I don't know if you are aware, but I just spent the last three years with Orochimaru."

Tsunade pales, all hints of a smile drop from her face. "I figured you were not in the best environment, but I would never have guessed you were with my old associate."

"I'm not interested in an exam. In exchange, I will give you this." He holds up the black device. "On it, you will find my current medical history, advanced medical technology beyond anything you have ever seen, all of the research for any surgeries performed on my body, and a few additional experimental projects. I've already gone through the files and deleted some of the darker ones. Sound doesn't deserve the technology falling into the wrong hands."

The corners of her mouth turn down. "If you're trying to bribe me, you are doing a terrible job."

Sasuke sets the SanDisk next to him. "It's not a bribe; it's a compromise. No need for an examination will just bring up questions when you can find all the answers on here. We don't need to waste our time."

"I promised your mother I would give you an examination," she says firmly.

"And you will after you have been through these files. This way you won't have to stop every thirty seconds when you find a discrepancy."

She folds her arms across her chest, calling emphasis on her already large breasts.

Sasuke has to fight the urge to curiously glance down from her face. She must have got work done. There's no way those are natural.

"Fine," the younger says, noting her hesitation. He needs further convince her so that she won't reject his proposal. "My eyes automatically switch to night vision in the dark. Orochimaru made adjustments, so my NCOR1(1) has been turned off, and I produce less myostatin (2) which gives me nearly twice the amount of strength and speed than the average male. My metabolism moves quickly, so I have to eat a lot. He also installed a Bionic Ear that increases my hearing range, balance, and equilibrium. Lastly, a cosmetic effect was added in so I wouldn't look like the fucking hulk. It was important to keep my appearance mostly reasonable so that I could blend in with the average athletic citizen."

Tsunade's mouth opens, but Sasuke keeps going, not interested in hearing her disbelief. "I am not going to be another test subject. Take the offer, or I leave."

After staring down at him for another minute, she concedes "Alright, I don't have time to argue." she picks up the jump drive. "I'll look at this and phone when I'm ready to set up an appointment. But next time, you do what my assistant says and change into your damn paper gown."

"Fine," he agrees. At least he wouldn't be subjected to the gawking and prodding today.

"Fine." She turns to leave, but Sasuke has one more concern.

"My mother is going to ask you about today's appointment."

She looks back at him and scoffs. "Brat, I'm not going to tell her you chickened out. I'll make up some excuse about waiting for the test results to come back. In the meantime, your body is very strong. Now, scootch on outta here."

He exits the room. "I didn't chicken out; I'm saving us time."

"Keep telling yourself that. You should be able to find your way back to the waiting room." The sound of her heels clicks as she makes her way towards the left hallway.

Ignoring the urge to tell off the woman, Sasuke returns to where his mother is sitting. She grimly looks up from her cooking magazine. "So?"

"She said I'm very fit and has to wait for some test results to come back."

"I'm still calling her tonight." She closes the glossy pages and sets it down on the table next to her.

"Hn."

"You're just like your father." Standing, she rolls her eyes and slides her purse over her shoulders.

It doesn't take them long at all to get back in the car and arrive the police station.

They go in, and his mother speaks to the receptionist to take care of her missing person report. Not too much later, Sasuke oddly finds himself in an interrogation room sitting across from Hiashi Hyuuga, a federal officer.

No doubt his father pulled some strings to be standing behind the glass window to his left, despite the rivalry between their families. He wonders if his mother is also standing there. Probably not. Fugaku wouldn't allow it. The less amount of people to hear of his shame, the better. Sasuke's father is doing it for the pride of their family, but the teen couldn't help but still feel slightly grateful. He doesn't need others witnessing this interview.

"So," the man with pale eyes brings back Sasuke's focus away from the window and back to the person sitting across from him. "You've spent the last three years in Sound."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "Yes." Why is this turning into an interrogation? Oh, right. It's because the Hyuuga family and Uchiha family are continuously pissing each other off. This is a ploy aimed at Fugaku.

"In one of their military bases." It's not a question.

"Yes."

"What, exactly, were you doing there?"

Sasuke lets out a slow breath of air, careful to keep his face blank. "I was taken." If Hiashi is going to make this difficult than Sasuke would play along.

The brunette clasps his fingers together on the surface of the metal table. "Yes, but for what? Information? Did they want to know the Fire Lord's schedule, his security secrets? Or did they take you for the prostitution ring?"

The teen allows his nose to scrunch up in disgust. "I wasn't forced to have sex with anyone. I was taken because Orochimaru wanted a lab rat."

"Uh-huh. And why did he come all of the way from Sound to grab _you_? I'm sure there were better candidates he could have obtained from a closer location."

Sasuke holds back a growl. "He was probably running a low supply from his country. Besides, he wasn't after me originally."

"You know this because he told you?"

This man's condescending attitude is starting to get on his nerves. Time for their little charade to be over. "No, I know this because he was eyeing Naruto before he spotted me approaching him."

The smug look on Hiashi's face drops.

"What?"

"I'm saying whoever was guarding Naruto that day did a shitty job. I was the one who had to take care of the problem."

"So, the man came here targeting the Fire Lord's son and decided he was happy with just an average citizen instead?"

"I'm not just some 'average citizen.'" If Sasuke were younger, he would have rolled his eyes. "I'm an Uchiha. My family works with national security. I knew what it meant if he was going after Naruto. I told him that if he didn't take me instead, I would make him regret it and notify everyone on the block."

The federal officer leans back in his chair. His expression morphs into one of grudging respect. He is silent for a minute.

Sasuke takes this time to wonder how long they are going to spend in here today. Maybe he could get out of the shopping later.

"Why didn't he just take the both of you and run?"

"Naruto didn't see us. We were about five houses down. He wouldn't have had time to drag both of us into the van. Besides, we were trained in self-defense. Together, the two of us could have taken him down. If he pulled out a gun, we would have forced him to fire and alert the neighborhood."

Sasuke's let's out a deep breath. It's too early to lose his patience; he needs to calm himself back down. Getting riled up is precisely what this man wants.

"Okay, so he took you and then left."

"Yes. Are we done talking about this?"

"What stopped him from coming back?"

Instead of answering, Sasuke gives the man a long, blank stare. Beating this man senseless is not going to make this session go by any faster. Looks like he is determined to waste both of their time.

'I distracted him.' This answer would result in some suggestive comment, and the little respect he's earned would be down the drain. It wasn't like what they were imaging. Orochimaru was indeed creepy, but he knew better than to mix business with pleasure. The teen just made sure to more than surpass any expectations the scientist had of him. It kept the man busy and focused on him.

While in Sound, Sasuke had become Orochimaru's "final product" of sorts. Any projects performed on his body had been tested and perfected on countless other bodies first. As a result, he became their finest military soldier.

To be clear, Sasuke didn't spend his entire time on that horrible island; that was just their base location. Most of the last two years were spent doing work for Sound's leader. A lot of jobs he did were in other countries, so it was necessary to keep his well-known Uchiha features hidden with a disguise. Orochimaru showed amusement with his attempts and even helped design Sasuke an outfit.

As Taka, his clothes had consisted of black boots, dark pants, and an open white jacket with a modified hood that pulled far over his face. The unique material went down to his nose and allowed him to see through the fabric without having to lift his chin. There were also attachments where the hood met the collar to make it difficult for the cover to fall back. Very convenient during altercations. The jacket also had a hidden sheath on his back that had a slit where the hilt of his katana would stick out. Orochimaru designed the front of the jacket to stay open as a taunt of "you can't touch this." Or at least Sasuke would like to think so. The eye candy alternative was more demeaning.

He actually wore the jacket yesterday. With the hood down to cover the empty sheath opening, it looked like your average, everyday teenage outfit. Naturally, he made sure to hide his katana before visiting his parents the day before.

A shift in the posture of the man sitting across from brings his focus from the man's nose to his rising eyebrow. Sasuke has been staring for quite a while.

Great, now they are thinking the worst.

"I made a deal with Orochimaru."

"Offering sexual favors?" The gleam in the interrogator's eye is back.

"No! Fuck you." Sasuke snarls before he could stop himself. Clenching his jaw, he relaxes back in the chair to try and calm himself down.

"I would consent and cooperate with all medical procedures they wished to perform on my body. I also helped them with a few military operations and worked for them as a soldier."

The sooner they finish this, the better.

"You expect me to believe that this was enough for them to change their plans of taking Naruto?"

"Orochimaru never changed his plans. He still wanted revenge against Minato. After all, it was the man's fault he didn't become Fire Lord and was exiled from the country." He fires back quickly.

"Don't speak so disrespectfully about our leader, Boy!"

"Hiashi, you're done. Switch with me." an intercom voices before Sasuke can curse the man's lineage. A good thing because his father would have him grounded for the rest of his short life after hearing one of the extensive expletives he learned in Sound. They could get quite vulgar. Or, maybe, Fugaku would have praised his son for shaming Hiashi. Hard to tell.

Ibiki strolls in. Sasuke remembers seeing his scarred face around when he was little. The man took enjoyment from intimidating everyone he could. It looks like they sent in the big guns. Why is Ibiki here for a simple kidnapping investigation, though? Maybe they paged the man when Sasuke dropped Naruto's name.

Hiashi rises and gives Sasuke a dirty look before forcefully shutting the door.

The teen works to school his expression out of its disgust. Hyuugas.

Working to rein back his rage, he takes a few calm breaths and reminds himself that acting out here is not going to help him accomplish any of his goals. He used to be able to watch when Orochimaru would make examples of those who broke the rules with his cruel punishments and keep his composure just fine while newer recruits were losing their lunch. In comparison, the fact that this trivial matter made him lose his cool is just pathetic. His father must be so ashamed right now.

While Sasuke is clearing his mind, Ibiki makes himself comfortable and stares him down. "Today we've established that you've kept Orochimaru occupied for the past three years and directed his attention away from the Land of Fire. You have our thanks for that. However, I have to ask if you gave Sound any information regarding Naruto or anything from your family's company?"

First, his nose flares. The rage coiling in his gut he is supposed to be suppressing explodes. A rush of fire hurls its way through the rest of his body, making his heated limbs shake. Sasuke could tolerate them insulting his pride but when it came to his best friend, his family name… they've gone too far. Did they honestly think he would blab USO secrets as well? Tch, he had already given away his future. No way in hell he'd give Orochimaru anything else.

Sasuke's vision clouds. He clenches his fists tightly and slowly gets to his feet.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

 _And_ I'm going to stop it there. Yes, I'm a meanie pants. The chapter was getting pretty long. As for the footnotes:

(1). "Scientists have suppressed a gene in mice called 'NCOR1'. This gene inhibits muscle growth, and so when it was turned off, the mice grew muscle that was much larger, more dense and had a greater number of mitochondria than normal mice. The genetically mutated mice were able to run twice as fast and for twice the amount of time."

This was a real-life project collaborated with researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and two Swiss institutions, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Lausanne.

(2). "What if I told you that one of the reasons that most people aren't ripped, jacked, shredded, etc. is that our bodies prevent us from making lots of muscle? That's right, your body is conspiring against you, preventing you from getting that muscular frame! Our bodies produce a chemical called myostatin which limits muscle growth. So if someone could stop producing myostatin, or produce less, they could get really strong."

Above is a quote from an article about "Real Super Strength!". Science is what gives Sasuke his boost. I didn't want to use supernatural elements. You can look the articles up if you wish. :P

As a general note, the government in place in Sound, Fire, Rain, etc. are systems I'm making up as I go. It's fanfiction. I can take a few liberties (this statement can also be applied to the paragraph above). For example, Fire's government is heavily based on the system in the Canada. Also, a little bit off the states. I based Sound's new system vaguely off Amsterdam. Let me know if this starts to confuse anyone.

It's probably very apparent by now that I felt a lot of inspiration for this while watching "Arrow." Don't worry, while there are some resemblances; the story goes in a completely different direction.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto, any of the articles, or Arrow.

 **Next chapter:** You get to see one of Sasuke's colorful insults and a quick scene of Naruto. Who's excited? :D


	5. Chapter Five: Cooling Off

**Warning:** Language?

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Cooling Off**

* * *

(Wednesday/Thursday)

Despite his rage, Sasuke hesitates. Physically assaulting this man would be easy. However, verbally is going to be a safer option to get out this anger. If he gets charged with assault, things could get messy.

So, he quickly opens his mouth before the physical wins.

"You ugly cock-sucking goat-faced three-legged spawn of a boil-ridden anus!" Sasuke hisses. "If you think for one second that I would betray my best friend, betray my _family_ , then you are one disillusioned fucker who deserves to be locked up with a crazy shit-pisser parasite who can't tell the difference between orifices while fucking!"

Spitting out the words are helping him not jump over the table and wrap his hands around the man's scarred neck, strangling the muscled passageway until Ibiki takes his last breath.

The interrogator seems unfazed. "Your colorful language and anger tell me you haven't told them anything. Luckily, it seems Orochimaru has not tortured you for information. Just another security question, you said you were working for their military. Are you currently acting as a spy for Sound?"

Taking a step, he really is going to tear this man's head off.

"Sasuke!" is shouted on his second step. The sound of his father's voice falls over him like a glacial waterfall, putting out the fire inside.

Sasuke doesn't stop, however. Instead, he passes the observing man and yanks the door open. "We're done here. Orochimaru is originally from this country and worked in a high political position. There is nothing I could have told him that he probably didn't already know."

The teen hears Ibiki's voice one last time as he closes the door. "You can leave for now, but we are going to talk again soon. Make sure not to tell anyone whose Sound's original target was. We don't need a public scare."

As if Sasuke didn't know that already.

The younger Uchiha walks out the hallway and decides not to let this incident get any further than it already has. Fortunately, violence was not involved and if he agrees to another "meeting," then he should be in the clear. They won't be in a position to hold anything on him. _Next time_ , he resolves, he will not lose his temper.

Leaving the building, Sasuke doesn't see his mom's car in sight. His father must have told her to head home deciding their session might take awhile.

Not in the mood to deal with any more people, Sasuke runs at a regular pace for a couple of miles towards the surrounding woods on the west edge of the city.

He looks around and makes sure no one else is in sight before smoothly clearing a brick fence dividing the city and forest. He goes all out. Trees are coming at him left and right but with his reflexes, it's easy to jump and dodge around them. Being careful, he also watches for stray roots or branches. The wind on his face and stretch in his leg muscles feels amazing. Running has always been his favorite way to get out his frustrations.

Sasuke sprints for a good while before he decides that he's pushed himself far enough. Who knows how far away the city is now.

Stopping near one of the larger trees, he hoists himself up on a thicker branch and sits, making sure to stretch out his legs. The day is just getting into the evening, so the birds are chirping as loud as ever as the sun peeks through the leaf canopy above. The noise is better than moving cars. More peaceful. The fall air is crisp and clear. Before Sasuke knows it, he dozes off.

The teen doesn't know how long he sleeps but, a hornet buzzes by and snaps him back to reality.

Looking up through the leaves, the sky is getting dark. His parents are going to be pissed... He needs to get back. They probably are sitting at home, worried over another one of his disappearances.

Sasuke jumps down and brushes off his pants. He rushes through the trees once more for a while until he spots a familiar shaped rock that stops him in his tracks.

Ignoring the cloud of dirt he kicked up with his sudden stop, he eyes the large boulder, and an old, forgotten memory stirs up.

* * *

His seven-year-old self is exploring the woods despite his family's warnings about being out there alone.

He had snuck out the back, wanting some time to himself. Sasuke needed to get out of the stuffy house where his brother was always busy, and his father was always mean. So what if he was playing in the front room? He was going to pick up his dinosaurs when he was done. But no! He was yelled at and told to go do something more productive.

Fine, he'd be "more productive." He was going to survey the forest outside to see if any bad guys were roaming around. If he caught one, his father would be so proud. Maybe he would even bring Sasuke to work with him, just like he brings Itachi sometimes.

Grinning to himself, he breaks out in a sprint, making sure not to trip over any of the fallen tree branches or rocks. Unfortunately, he had just had lunch recently and is still pretty full, so he is only able to get in about six-hundred yards before stopping.

Looking around for anyone hiding in the trees, he decides to sneak around for a bit. His imagination keeps him entertained for quite a while and before he knows it, nearly an hour has passed, and he has gotten himself turned around.

Frowning, he picks a direction with false confidence and pretends it is the way back to his house. Or at least if he goes this way, he might come across a tree or a rock he recognizes.

He isn't sure how long he wanderers for but he definitely hasn't seen anything familiar. At least the sun isn't going down for a while. He has plenty of time to find his way back. Besides, both Kakashi and Itachi taught him not to panic in rough situations because "hesitation only gets you hurt."

The sound of a sniffle makes him freeze.

He waits for the noise to repeat. What if there is a bear nearby? What if it wants to eat him? He didn't think even his father could beat up a bear so if there is one, he's in big trouble.

Sasuke looks around for an escape. There are trees all around. Big ones, small ones, and even fallen ones. The ground is covered in dead leaves and sticks. Getting out of here quietly will be impossible. The bear is going to hear him. A few of the trees are big enough for him to hide behind for cover but bears have a good sense of smell. Right?

Another sniffle makes him start. This time, it's followed by a sob. Unless the bear is crying, which would be impossible, it seems like there is a human nearby.

Relief slides over him, loosening up his stiff body. Laughing to himself a little, he turns around to the direction of the sound and sees a huge, gray stone.

As best he can, he attempts to approach the rock quietly. He's sure he's not heard when he hears a little hiccup. Resting his hands on the cool surface of the stone, he slowly peaks over.

To his great surprise, a shock of yellow hair is on the other side of the rock. He knows that hair.

"Naruto?" He whispers.

Said boy jumps, whips around and stares in disbelief. They blink at each other.

Finally, Naruto quickly wipes his face and points at him. "Sasuke?!"

The boy on the receiving end of the finger frowns. Why was Naruto crying? That boy never cries. Not even when he hurt his arm falling out of the tree they weren't supposed to be climbing on.

And what is he doing out here, anyway? He usually spends time with his father on Sundays.

"You almost gave me a freakin' heart attack! What the heck are you doing out here?"

Sasuke rests his small body against the rock.

"That's my question. What are you doing out here? I thought you and your dad were going to the park today?"

Naruto drops his finger, crosses his arms over his chest and looks away. "I didn't even want to go to the park today!"

His friend has always been easy to read. "Liar."

The blond turns his head to glare. "Fine! If you want to truth, I'll tell you the truth!"

Sasuke waits. Naruto has always been a little dramatic.

The older not giving into his theatrics doesn't seem to surprise Naruto. He must be used to Sasuke acting stubborn.

"An important meeting came up, and he said we would have to go next week instead." He swallows, studying his new TMNT tennis shoes.

"Sooo, why are you out here again?"

Naruto quickly looks up this time. "Well, why are _you_ out here?"

"I asked you first." Sasuke glares, not ready to admit he was lost.

"No, you didn't! I asked _you_ first!"

Oh yeah. He did.

Sasuke scowls and switches tactics. "You're here because you got turned around and didn't know how to get back."

"I know where we are! I ran away, and this is my new home. Dad is always busy and doesn't care about me. Nobody is ever going to find me out here." The tears are collecting at the corner of his eyes again.

Sasuke ignores his discomfort and pushes back his anger. Naruto has the coolest dad ever. Minato dedicates an entire day to spend with Naruto each week. Sasuke is lucky if his father even acknowledges his presence during meals. He doesn't want to argue with Naruto about this right now, though. It always turns out the same: his best friend reminds him he may have Minato, but Sasuke has Itachi and Mikoto. At least Sasuke has a mom and a brother.

Clearing his head a bit, he finally responds. " _I_ found you."

This catches Naruto off guard. His brows furrow and he pauses as if he's not sure what to say. Finally, his expression softens and he stares Sasuke in the eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you did."

Feeling uncomfortable at the bright smile directed at him, Sasuke turns to an insult. "It wasn't hard, I always find you. You've always been terrible at hide and seek after all."

It has the opposite effect; Naruto's smile grows even larger.

His best friend teases him for a while until they hear dogs barking in the distance. The Inuzuka family shows up and is surprised to find Sasuke with Naruto. The two get taken back and loaded into a pickup truck with the huge dogs crammed in the cargo bed.

Naruto gets dropped off first, and his disheveled father hugs him from outside their house and hurries him back inside after a nod to the driver.

Tsume nods back and turns to look at Sasuke in the back seat as if she's not quite sure what to do with him.

"How'd you find him?"

"It just happened," Sasuke shrugs. He doesn't have a better answer than that, and he's not one to believe in fate.

She grunts and starts the truck, driving the mile back to his house. Before jumping down, he thanks her and heads up to the front door.

* * *

Sasuke shakes off the warm memory and makes his way back to the city.

It's dark when he arrives, Itachi is sitting out on the porch swing with an open book on his lap.

Not looking up he greets Sasuke. "I heard you had a rough day today. Mother and Father are worried."

Sasuke goes up the cement steps. "I know. I just needed to get out for a bit."

"That is not a valid excuse for making us stress. Father bought you a phone." Itachi finally looks up from his textbook.

Sasuke has a burner phone as Taka, but he should probably accept the new phone if he is going to be in town for a while. "He didn't have to buy me anything. I'll pay him back."

Itachi watches Sasuke as he takes a seat next to him. It's nearly a minute before he says anything else. "You're still their kid even if you feel like an adult now."

Itachi never misses anything. Not that Sasuke has exactly been subtle. Having his parents try and control his life again is strange. He missed it and yet, he also hates it. "That's sounds odd coming from you."

The older brother glances down long enough to turn a page and change the conversation. "Father said they asked you some tough questions at the station. Want to talk about it?"

So, Itachi wasn't there to see the investigation. That is a relief. No doubt he'd be there for the next, though.

Sasuke closes his eyes against a fall breeze that reminds him of the cooling sweat on his body. "I foolishly lost my temper. It won't happen next time."

"You had every right to be angry. I heard Hiashi went out of his way to slander our family name, your dignity, valor, and virtue. But I also heard you called Ibiki… what was it now? An 'ugly, cock-sucking goat-faced three-legged spawn of a boil-ridden anus'?"

Cheeks coloring, Sasuke opens his eyes and notes the clear amusement in his brother's face.

So his father _is_ holding that against him.

Itachi seems to read his mind. "Father was smug when he told me. Personally, I think you could have also insulted the man's cat. Mr. Fluffy is spoiled rotten."

A rare, small smile reveals itself on Sasuke's face. He's definitely missed these talks with his brother. "That fat fur ball is still around? Besides, that's kind of a sensitive issue for Ibiki. If I had called out the man on the love he has for his cat, we really would have gotten into a brawl. I didn't need to stoop to his level. I had a thousand other things about the man I could have made a mockery out of."

"Of that, I have no doubt. Now, enough of this talk. I don't want mother scolding me for encouraging you. Go inside and shower, you keep coming home smelling foul." Itachi closes the textbook, stands up, and pokes Sasuke in the forehead.

The younger one scowls and habitually rubs the spot while making sure to give the older a good glare. It was just like old times.

Taking his brother's advice, he eventually gets up and enters their house.

"Don't forget to let Mother and Father know you're back," Itachi follows him in.

"I know."

He finds his parents in the living rooms and apologizes. His father gives him the phone and doesn't say anything as he goes up to his office. Sasuke's mother gives him a reprimanding look and tells him that she is going to call Tsunade now.

Shrugging, the teen pockets the smartphone and ventures upstairs for a shower.

The rest of the night is pretty uneventful. Sasuke spends some time familiarizing himself with the new technology before his mother comes in and checks on him. She finds him lying on his stomach on the bed.

"Tsunade says she wants to schedule another appointment with us for Saturday," she tells him, setting down some folded clothes next to him. Sasuke eyes the bundle and finds himself a little surprised the woman wants to set up another check-up so soon.

His mother tucks a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. The last exam was rushed because Tsunade said she had some other things to get to. The doctor probably just wants to be more thorough." He doesn't look up from the little screen, he's good at lying but...

Sasuke senses his mom studying him as she folds her arms across her chest. "Fine."

She's angry. It's difficult to tell if she caught the fib or not. "Since you blew me off today, I'm taking you out tomorrow, and we will go shopping until we fill up your closet with new clothes!"

Sasuke winces this time and looks up at her no-nonsense face. "That's right. We are leaving first thing after breakfast. Have a goodnight."

With that, she turns around and exits his room.

Sasuke watches her go with a tight feeling in his chest. He could lie to a significant amount of people and not bat an eyelash, but his mother is another story. He's stirred up a lot of emotions with his return with himself and his family. He needs to be a better son. Sasuke has already sworn to himself to make the best out of their time.

Ignoring the constriction, he sits up and looks through the pile of clean clothes. With his washed articles, there is a new pair of tan shorts and a polo shirt for him to wear tomorrow.

Sasuke hangs his clothes up in the barren closet. His mother must have emptied it out earlier today. Grabbing the pill bottle out of his travel bag, he pops in a stabilizer and gets ready for bed. Instead of leaving the bathroom, he slides into the empty tub once again.

He wakes up the next morning a little late, so he skips the morning jog, and starts breakfast with his family.

After getting ready for the day, he meets his mom in the garage and sits down in the passenger seat while she starts the engine. After adjusting the air, she turns to look at him with a sweet smile. "Let's go get you some clothes."

His stomach drops at the tone of her voice. She is really set on making this an unpleasant trip.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

Yes, the quick scene I was referring to the last chapter was a flashback. Sorry, the plot bunnies changed their minds. :( Don't worry, though; I have a much better meeting planned instead.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).

 **Next time** : Sasuke's mom makes him suffer, and he has a Q and A with some reporters.


	6. Chapter Six: Errands

**Chapter Six** : **Errands**

* * *

(Thursday/Friday)

 _Six hours later_ and still at the mall, they have only been in four clothing stores and have two bags. One contains three pairs of jeans and one pair of khakis. The other bag has six different shirts.

Sasuke's stomach rumbles as they make their way to the food court. He is famished, and his mother is purposely taking forever by making him try on every little thing. "I think I have enough clothes for now."

"Nonsense," she says over the busy Thursday evening noise. "We still need to find you some blazers, sweaters, and even a coat. The weather is getting colder now. Oh! Also, we should get you a few pairs of shoes."

Sasuke frowns. "You don't need to buy me all these things."

She twists sideways to face him, causing the couple walking behind to almost run her over. They give her a curious glance and go around. "Yes, I do! I wish you would treat me more like a mother and less like a stranger. Let me pamper you. I want to make up for lost time."

Her emotional outburst catches him off guard. "I guess I have gotten a little too used to doing things on my own. I will try to be more… cooperative."

"Good. Now, where do you want to eat?"

"I'm going to get pizza." Not the healthiest but considering how he plans to eat an entire one, it is cheaper than ordering six combo meals.

Together they get in line at the pizza stand. It's better that they order at the same place to pay together and to avoid having to wait in separate lines.

However, just because his mother insists on paying, doesn't mean that Sasuke doesn't have any money. He actually did get a significant amount from Orochimaru, and donated most of it to the rebuilding of Sound, keeping a small portion for himself. Unfortunately, the people here in Fire Nation won't accept outside currency. He'll need to get it converted if he plans to buy anything for himself. Another reason why it's a good idea to let her have her way.

Sasuke has the worker bring out a large meat lovers pizza while his mom orders a salad.

Mikoto gives the young adult the money and leads them over to an empty table near the middle. Fortunately, the table is near a large potted plant, and Sasuke can sit with his back against it. It's unlikely that anyone here in Fire would pull and a knife and jump him, but old habits are hard to break.

They finish up the food and hit a few more stores. By now, they have a good idea of his size, and it takes them less time to make their purchases. His mother also seems to have decided she has punished him enough.

They arrive at the house around six. Mikoto goes off the start dinner, and Sasuke is left to go down to the washroom to start a load of laundry with the new clothes. On his way to up the stairs, he catches Itachi eyeing him.

"Father's shirt is a little tight on you."

Yes, the borrowed article had bothered Sasuke all day. It brought a lot of attention. So, not only was his day filled with torturous hours spent in clothing stores, but he also had to deal with the drooling female population. The fact that he was shopping with his mother made him that much more appealing. Spending an entire day with Kabuto would have been better than what he just went through.

Itachi notices his sour expression and changes the subject. "I never asked. How'd your doctor's appointment go yesterday?"

"It was alright."

"Alright, as in everything is okay?"

"More or less." Sasuke shrugs. It would be kind of depressing to mention that his body is so screwed up, he wouldn't be surprised if his heart gave out this very minute. It has to work pretty hard when he runs at high speeds, gets involved in tough fights, or if he does any missions requiring special skills. Basically, it's a ticking time bomb.

"Okay," Itachi stares at him thoughtfully. Sasuke knows that look. Keeping anything from his brother has never been easy. The genius always figures it out or tricks people into spilling the beans.

"Is there something in particular that you needed?" He needs to steer him off course.

"To catch up. Come to my room to see if there's anything that will fit you better than that abomination you are wearing."

Sasuke follows his sibling into the room left of the stairs, and they take a look at his closet. The teen tries on a few things of his brother's as Itachi asks him about his day and tells him about work and his experiences at the University. They talk until dinner about mundane things, and then their parents join in. It's an ordinary evening, and Sasuke goes back to his room satisfied and full.

After getting ready for bed, he tries to sleep on the mattress. Still finding it too soft, he climbs back into the bathtub making sure to bring a pillow. He's going to give up on that bed.

He closes his eyes thinking of the conversation he had with his father over dinner. An official statement of his return had been sent out. They'd have to do a press conference tomorrow. Also, Sasuke had asked to go to the company with Itachi and their father afterward rather than staying home to twiddle his thumbs in the morning. If his mother was hurt by the request, she didn't bother to show it.

Sasuke needs to move on to his next objective: setting up a meeting with the Fire Lord. His family's company works for the man, so it is a subsequent step. Sasuke plans to start working for USO and squeeze his way to the man's inner circle. And if he happens to see Naruto again on the way, that would be a bonus.

Sasuke wakes up early again the next morning. Peering out his window, he notes with surprise that there are not any reporters waiting on their sidewalk. Shrugging it off as good luck, he changes into a new sweatshirt, shorts and a pair of tennis shoes.

Leaving another note, he sneaks out the back door today and makes his way through the woods to the nearest road. Once he gets to the park, he's almost disappointed by the lack of Kakashi. Oh well. He'll get to see him today at the USO (Uchiha Security Office).

He runs around the park trail several times and takes the long way back to his neighborhood. He notes that his new black shoes with red trimming around the side are decently holding up. Once again, he maneuvers through the backwoods, stepping on the back porch and sneaks back inside.

"Good Morning. Are you sure you want to go with your father today? It's not too late to change your mind. Fugaku can deal with the reporters," his mother calls through the dining room from the kitchen.

"I'm sure. It's better they get a statement, go home, and write their article instead of lurking around. I don't want them to think I'm hiding," He gives her a reply, taking off his shoes and carries them with him to get a drink of water.

Emptying the plastic container, he disposes it and scrubs the little splatters of mud off his new shoes.

"If you say so," she stirs some chopped potatoes around the flat pan.

Sasuke doesn't answer as he goes upstairs to shower. By the time he comes back down in his new formal attire, his father, and brother and getting themselves settled at the table. Joining in, Sasuke eats breakfast and makes his way out the garage door after waving good-bye to his mother.

Joining the two in the car, they make their way downtown. Fugaku drives to an underground parking facility and parks the car in his designated space. They get in the nearby elevator and go up to the main floor.

Sasuke takes a step just as the door is about to open.

"Don't go off on your own," his father grunts. "We're going to do this together."

That's what he thinks. This is Sasuke's problem; he'll be the one to handle it.

Itachi adjusts his maroon tie as they step out of the elevator. The lobby is teeming with men and woman walking around in power suits. Fortunately, they don't stop and stare as the trio makes their way to the front entrance. It seems like a lot is going on today to keep everyone occupied.

After going through the security check out, they make their way through the glass doors. Immediately, they are bombarded with questions, flashing lights and recording devices.

"How does it feel to have your son back?"

"Where has he been all this time?"

"How did Sasuke get away?"

"Why now?"

The noise is nearly deafening, especially to Sasuke's sensitive ears but after he steps up to the makeshift podium and the crowd quiets down.

The teen decides to speak up before anyone else can. Especially his father, the man was planning to give a short speech, but Sasuke wants to take care of this on his own. He doesn't want to appear to be hiding behind his father's tailcoats. Hopefully, the older man understands if not, Sasuke will just have to deal with his anger later.

"Three years ago, I was abducted and taken into Sound. My captor placed me in a science facility to help further his research. I was there until Sound's recent upheaval. Finding a chance to escape, I got away and made my way back here. Starting now, I will answer only a few questions." He points to the man near the front of the crowd with his hand raised.

"What kind of research was Sound doing in that science facility?"

"At the time, the country was struggling with its neighbors and wanted to build up its army. The facility mostly focused on strengthening the human body. You in the red hat, you're next up."

"How did you escape?"

"After the death of Sound's leader, the country had other things to worry about than us recruits. During the turmoil, I slipped passed the closed borders with some assistance and made my way here. Only one more question. You, in the back with the white coat."

"What happened to the others in your group?"

The crowd seems to groan. It was a waste of the last question.

"A few got away, others didn't have anywhere to go back to and wished to stay. They're probably working and building the country back up as we speak."

He turns to see his father's eyebrows pulling down. Ignoring the man's irritation, he makes his way into the building, ignoring the shouts of the reporters.

"You heard him. There will be no further questions. Now, if you would be so kind as to stop blocking the entrance to this establishment, I have a business to run," Fugaku has to add his two cents before following his son.

Disgruntled, the paparazzi retreats down the stairs and back to the street.

Sasuke watches a few of them talking amongst themselves, while others make their way to cars parked along the street.

"You should've let me talk to them."

Sasuke passes safely through the identity scanner before he gives a response.

"I don't want to be seen as a child."

Fugaku goes through next. "You are a child! In fact, you should be in school right now. Your mother and I are going to enroll you at the local high school."

"I earned my GED in Sound," Sasuke smirks, knowing that he's already won the argument. In his younger days, he used to shut up and did what his father told him to. Not anymore.

Fugaku throws him a baffled look as they make their way across the vast lobby. Itachi is silently following behind them.

"What? Do you think I spent my days locked in a laboratory cage the first year? No, I had some time to study while my body recovered from the surgeries. I planned to come back and didn't want school to be in my way." He pushes the "up" button on the panel for the elevator.

His father opens his mouth and shuts it when he sees his employees as the metallic doors open. They enter, and the doors close. Finally, his father just says, "we'll talk about this later."

That's never a good sign.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

I'm sorry if this isn't the most exciting chapter. I had to add in a few necessary things so the plot could progress. At least some questions were answered? ….Right? '^_^

 **Disclaimer** : I still don't own Naruto, nor will I ever.

 **Next time** : Sasuke talks with Minato and receives an interesting offer...


	7. Chapter Seven: The Fire Lord

**Chapter Seven** : The Fire Lord

* * *

(Friday)

When they get to the top floor, the two remaining employees flee from the strained silence as soon as the doors open. Fugaku angrily retreats to his office to work on some paperwork.

"We've remodeled a little bit since you've been gone. I have a little bit of free time, let me show you around."

Sasuke follows his brother and gets a mini tour of the building, making sure to greet a few relatives as they go through the floors. Not too much has changed since the last time he has been here; the lobby still has it's guarded entrance, the bathrooms, the closets, the elevators, and a few other miscellaneous rooms. The next few stories have training floors, a cafeteria, and a gym. Midway floors have the standard cubicles where the workers deal with paperwork or technical issues. Towards the top, the conference rooms and offices for the higher-ups take up the space. The last floor belongs mainly to his father.

Itachi mentions an upcoming appointment before disappearing. This leaves Sasuke on the twentieth (top) floor with not much to do. He had been hoping to use today to convince his father to allow him to start a remedial job on the USO payroll so he could wedge his way into a standard position, preferably in field work. However, after their argument this morning, the teen isn't likely to be rewarded with anything. He'll have to ask another time.

With a huff, he presses the "down" button with the intent of going to the training center to spend more time with his cousin, Shisu. His plans come to a halt as the doors open.

The Fire Lord stands before him in all his glory with two of his security escorts.

They both blink in surprise at each other.

Minato, ever the politician, recovers first. "Sasuke!" He pulls the younger into a hug.

"Sir, I wouldn't recommend doing that..." The guard is ignored.

"Lord Namikaze," Sasuke's voice comes out muffled as he tries to speak despite his face being pressed into the man's shoulder.

"How many times have I told you to call me 'Minato'?" The man pulls back and gives one of his trademark smiles.

"It has been a while, and I didn't want to seem disrespectful."

"Nonsense! You've always been like a second son to me. You and Naruto used to spend so much time together..." He trails off, the smile falling off his face. "Anyway, I came up here to see your father, but I'm happy I've run into you as well. There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh?" This is too perfect. He'll be able to have a meeting with Minato sooner than he thought. Not only that but to have a chat alone with the man is more than he could have hoped for. Well, minus the bodyguards, but it is close enough. He'll take it.

"Yes, I have a proposition for you. In fact, your father can wait. This will only take a few minutes."

"Sir, we have a strict schedule to keep." Sasuke eyes shift to the man with brown hair who's standing near the back elevator wall with one hand over his other wrist, feet apart. He wasn't someone Sasuke has seen before. He must have joined the USO after Sasuke had left.

"Yamato, this is worth it. I'll just have my lunch when I have my chat with Fugaku," the Fire Lord waves off the advice calling Sasuke's attention back to the blond man.

Sasuke does a side nod toward the door on his right. "We can go to the conference room on this floor. Father is working on some paperwork in his office and shouldn't need it." Plus, because it's on Fugaku's floor, it's soundproof and regularly swept for bugs.

"Good. Let's head over there, shall we?"

The other guard, Hayate(1), releases the elevator door he's holding open, and they make their way to the room with a long black table to make themselves comfortable. The two men trailing behind are told to wait outside. Yamato doesn't appear comfortable with the order but complies as he watches them through the clear glass.

"Unfortunately, we'll have to catch up another time," Minato gets down to business after taking a seat on one of the black chairs. "I need a favor."

Inwardly, Sasuke smirks as he takes his own seat. This impromptu private meeting is going so much better than the one he has planned. If he does a favor for the Fire Lord, then it'll be easier to ask for a favor in return. He's confident that he can perform anything this man asks of him. Something shady? He'll do it. Spying? Easy. However, knowing Minato as he does it's probably going to be something quick and simple.

"I need someone to keep an eye on Naruto for me."

Wrong. His confidence drops like a ton of bricks. He feels like it smashes into a dense pile at the bottom of his stomach. Anything to do with Naruto is going to be... Challenging, to say the least. For both personal and practical reasons.

Sasuke told himself that after he returned, he would keep his distance. Rekindling a friendship with Naruto is the last thing he wants to do right now. Sure, he has missed his best friend but with the few years he's got left, it wouldn't be fair to either of them to restart their connection. Sasuke is a different person now, anyway. A darker one. Besides, the teen knows what he wants isn't _friendship_ …

Puberty had hit him with a vengeance during his time in Sound. It was there he got his firsts: kissing, groping, sex, and a few other activities he never plans to tell his parents about.

Then, there's the fact that Sasuke has always been attracted to his best friend's personality. Who wasn't? The guy's irresistible charm affects everybody (including his own father who is known to be a hard ass). But that was as far as his attraction went when he was a kid.

So, imagine his surprise after indulging in sexual urges and experiments, when he started having wet dreams and found himself physically drawn to Naruto as well. His fantasies of smooth, long legs, breasts, and pussies got old, especially since they were so easy for him to acquire. No, he needed a bigger challenge. Encouraged by his dreams, he tried swinging the other way. He found he enjoyed the chiseled abs, tight asses, and rough play just as much. Still, it was too easy. Eventually, what got him going the most was thoughts of that tan skin, golden hair, a strong body writhing underneath his, and those gorgeous blue eyes filled with lust.

Suffice to say; the nights irritated the hell out of him. He'd wake up aroused and wanting more from his childhood friend. Instead, he would have to settle for the next convenient body that came his way. Usually, one that was already in his bed.

"Sasuke?" He's drawn back into the present.

"You want me to babysit? That's not going to go over well." He crosses his legs, desperately trying not to pop a boner.

Minato frowns. "Now, I wouldn't call it babysitting. What he needs is a bodyguard."

"We both know he hates bodyguards. In fact, I even helped him ditch a few back in the day."

"I'm well aware," the Fire Lord scowls at past memories.

"He's not going to accept another guard. Especially someone his own age." Sasuke wants to help the man out. However, following a teen around who doesn't want to be followed for who knows how long is going to cause some serious problems. Especially if that teen is Naruto, a known troublemaker who probably has a grudge against Sasuke.

"He doesn't have to accept it. Naruto is not going to know you're guarding him. From what I've heard from Ibiki and Tsunade, it seems you're perfect for the job. We won't have to put you through too much training. Besides, I just need someone to keep an eye on him at school. The teachers I planted won't always been around."

"What happened to Ebisu, the guard who always used to follow him around?"

"Ah, Naruto and I got into a huge argument a few years back. He said his classmates wouldn't talk to him because he always had a guard with him and claimed it was preventing him from making any friends. Of course, it didn't bother him until after you left..." A shadow crosses the man's face. "Anyway, he was lonely."

Uncomfortable, Sasuke shifts a little in his chair. "So you let him go to school unattended?"

"Of course not!" The angry look on Minato faces morphs into shame. "I hired someone working for Root."

"Root?" Aghast, Sasuke tries not to look disgusted. They are a rival company based out of Fire that hires strictly out of their own academy where children are taught at a young age to completely eliminate emotions and sentimental attachments. To be honest, it reminds Sasuke a bit too much of the program used in Sound, minus the technology and body modifications. Danzo, their leader, is about as crooked as they come.

"They happened to be the only place at the time that had a young agent they were ready to put out on the field. I was desperate."

"Clearly."

A sharp glare reminds Sasuke that he's chatting with a man in charge of a powerful country and he's been pushing said man too hard. "I want to help you out, I do, but there is another problem."

"What would that be?" The blond growls.

"They won't let me attend Naruto's school. I've already earned my GED."

The strict look on Minato's face softens. "That's impressive. However, you forget that if I say you can attend the academy, then no one is going to stop you."

Another excuse comes to mind, but he pushes it down. If he wants that future favor, he'll need to cooperate. He'll just have to play his cards right.

"You don't want to see him?"

The question catches Sasuke off guard. He must have shown something on his face.

"Naruto can pretend he's mad all he wants. He may never admit it aloud, but he's missed you. Still misses you."

He continues when the teen doesn't respond. "I'll make you a deal. Naruto won't fight you on this because I'll tell him it's _his_ job to keep an eye on you. He'll think we'll need to watch you because you could be brainwashed by Sound or some other nonsense. He'll have to stick to you, not the other way around. On another note, I think it would be good for you to get back into a normal life. Kids your age should be going to school, not training for their next fight."

Sasuke studies the table, refusing to look up. "I'll never have a normal life. I don't even want one. Besides, Itachi already graduated from high school when he was my age."

The Fire Lord lets out a heavy sigh and rubs his temples. "I'll request that Fugaku put you on the USO payroll so we can enroll you into a quick training program and the academy. You'll have to attend the classes and make an effort on the curriculum, though. The less who know of your position, the safer Naruto will be."

"Alright. I'll watch Naruto as a USO employee. However, because of my position in Sound, I can't do this without expecting a favor in return."

Minato tilts his head to the left, taken off guard. "What are you talking about? I thought Ibiki ruled out the possibility of you siding with Sound?"

"He did," Sasuke answers quickly. This could go very wrong if he doesn't explain himself properly. "But to say I've sided with _both_ Fire and Sound wouldn't be entirely inaccurate. While Fire is my home, I owe that country."

The man's eyes darken. "I don't understand. Orochimaru took you to that wretched place, did horrible things to you, and forced you into working for him. Why do you feel you owe them?"

Why indeed? At first, yes, he loathed that place with every fiber of his being. He knew when he went with Orochimaru, it wouldn't be sunshine and flowers. He had to sacrifice his morals for everything he cared about, and he could not afford to stress over the consequences of his actions. And, out of the agony of those losses, a new resolve was born. And he had the duty to see it through to its absolute completion.

Orochimaru may have taken his old life, but he had given him a new one in return. Sasuke was now strong enough to protect his few precious people. He had a small task force he could call out to that had more power than an army. _He_ had more power than an entire army. It allowed him to accomplished a lot of great things in such a short time span.

So, despite his hate for the Bastard, he also felt a reluctant sense of gratitude. However, that feeling only went so far. Especially once he found out what Orochimaru was getting up to in one of his labs.

Minato taps his fingers on the table,, bringing Sasuke to the present once again. Thinking of the horrors in that room made his gut turn. He redirected his thoughts. The Fire Lord was expecting an answer.

"What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, alright?" It's silly, but he looks around to make sure no one can overhear him. The guards outside are distracted over a petty squabble.

The man across from him frowns. "I am curious enough to indulge you. This time."

"I killed Orochimaru." He regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth but there is also a sensation of pressure that alleviates from his chest. He wanted to tell someone. Needed it. Even if it would complicate his future.

"Our intelligence has informed me that Taka is the one who killed Orochimaru."

"I am Taka. I told Ibiki I excelled my kidnapper's expectations, but I didn't say exactly how much. I become his vigilante. I did missions for the country, or him, really. Small missions, long missions, any task he needed to be done to benefit Sound, he sent me to do. Things like putting a stop to foreign leaders planning Orochimaru's demise. Infiltrating a special force in Rain and taking it down from the inside. Sneaking into Rock Country and stealing classified information and treasure. It was all me. Me and my team."

The Fire Lord isn't as shocked as Sasuke thought he would be. Sure, the man's eyeballs look like they are going to pop out of his head, but he isn't flailing his arms around and shouting. Naruto learned that from him dearly departed mother.

" **What**?" Is all the man can gasp out.

"I needed to keep the traitor interested in me. I couldn't let him focus back on Naruto. As I said, I distracted him."

"Go-," the older man wheezes and shakes his head a bit. "-go back to the bit where you killed Orochimaru."

"Ah, I had been thinking of getting rid of the man for a while. Not by killing him, mind you, but I caught that Fucker preparing to launch an attack against Fire." He did, but it also didn't help that Sasuke caught Orochimaru in a compromising position with a suspiciously young, blond haired boy soon after the plan and what Sasuke's part in it was revealed.

It made Sasuke's heart stop. Realistically, he knew the scientist often took young prostitutes and that it wasn't Naruto but his temper still exploded at the thought. Besides, Sasuke was strong enough on his own, he didn't need to follow that man's every order. Enough was enough, the world would be a better place without this slime ball. So, while the man was distracted with thrusting his hips, Sasuke used his sword to cut the man's head off.

It wasn't his first kill, but his fourth. By then, taking a life was nothing new. He didn't feel guilty, not even as the prostitute's shocked tears ran through the splatters of blood on his cheeks. Or so he told himself.

True, if given another chance, he would have gone about the whole thing differently. He had given Orochimaru the easy way out. Not one that the man deserved. Sasuke should have handed the man to his failed experimental subjects. Or what was left of them. Instead, he ended up taking another life. Oddly, the action didn't trouble him as much as it should.

He wonders what it said about him. Did all soldiers think like this?

Anyhow, "We got into a fight," he finishes his story. "He attacked me first, and I retaliated in self-defense. Sound is better off without him."

"We also received reports that Taka did in the Feudal Lord of Sound as well. Did he attack you too?" Sasuke can practically feel the man's anger simmering off his skin from his place across the table.

This could be bad.

"No. The previous Lord was just a farce. With Orochimaru gone, he didn't know how to run a country or stop an uprising. In a few short days, he took his own life." It was true, but Sasuke may have pushed him into it. However, he's already on thin ice.

"Then Taka, your team, stepped in and took control of the situation."

"Yes, a lot of people felt lost without Orochimaru dragging them around. Others celebrated for days at his passing. In the end, a small civil war took place. The two sides clashed, you probably heard about the fight with Kimimaro? Once we got him to join our side, the rest of his rebels followed. Especially since it was Kimimaro, who took over as the country's new leader."

"You know, you never answered my original question. _Why_ are you so loyal to Sound?"

Sasuke looks down at his lap. "Because it's my fault."

"What's your fault?"

"Sound's collapse. I blindly killed its leader in a foolish rage. Citizens went crazy, lots of people died. We were lucky to keep the foreign invaders out. Are you sure you still want me around your son?"

"Sasuke, look at me."

He raises his chin to meet the man's heavy gaze.

"Yes, what you did was wrong. If it had been in my country, I would have had a trial and sent you to prison. But, I understand that Sound is a different place. It has different laws and has ways of changing people into things they never thought they'd become. Although you made a grave mistake, you also took measures to fix it."

"At what cost?"

"Shush Child, let me finish. Knowing Sound needed a new leader, you found a great man for the job. You gave an impoverished country hope. It might have been on a selfish whim, but some have said you saved the country rather than doomed it. You're a hero there."

"It's not just me. Team Taka is their hero. I didn't do all the work on my own."

"Regardless, yes, you made a mistake, and if I see any foul play, any at all, I will not hesitate to classify you as a traitor. This time, and this time only, I will give you a pass. You are lucky that we have history."

A whoosh of air Sasuke wasn't aware he is holding rushes out of his lungs. He took a huge gamble telling the Fire Lord the truth, but his instincts didn't fail him.

He has a big task in front of him now, but it's also a start that he needs. It will put him in the direction he wants to go in despite the annoyances along the way. He'll just have to be cautious with Naruto and his father.

"Now then. I know it's short notice but are you able to start the school on Monday?"

"Yes," he nods. He'll have to make it happen.

"Good," the man stands and straightens his suit jacket. "It's about time I get going. Otherwise, Yamato will burst in here any moment."

"Okay, I'll call my mother and get her to fill out some paperwork." Sasuke follows the man to the door. He'll have to negotiate out a trade another time. Despite the pay, he just can't have part of Taka working for another country without something in return. Okay, his freedom is a good exchange but if it's possible to get more out of the deal, he will.

"I need to tell Sai that you'll be guarding alongside him. Also, I was going to have your father notify you, but your presence is required at a meeting I'm hosting on Sunday. There will be more questions about your experience in Sound, but I'll be the one asking most of them this time."

Shit. Another meeting. "Yes, sir."

Minato makes an apologetic face. "Thank you, again. Aside from what it took and your poor choices, I'm happy you made it back to us."

Sasuke doesn't get to reply because the man with brown hair is already whisking the Fire Lord away muttering something about keeping appointments.

Sasuke leaves the conference room with a light feeling in his chest and makes his way to one of the training areas.

Itachi finds him still there a few hours later lost in thought, watching others practice from the observatory box.

"I was planning on calling you but thought I'd check here first. Honestly, I'm surprised you're not down there with them," the man comments, closing the door behind him.

"I didn't bring a change of clothes," Sasuke turns away from the large window to face his brother.

"Is that so?"

"Yup," he smirks, resting his elbows on the windowsill behind him. "And I know if I go down there, I'll just make everyone look bad."

"That's never stopped you before. I know you, Little Brother. There's something else bothering you. What is it?"

The teen shrugs. Itachi keeps his gaze focused on the face in front of him.

"Surely you still can't be pouting over your argument with Father this morning."

A muscle in Sasuke's face twitches. This has nothing to do with their father.

Itachi raises an eyebrow.

Pushing out the air in his nose, the younger Uchiha straightens his posture and turns to look back out the viewing pane. There's no use hiding anything from his brother. "I met with Minato today."

Itachi joins him. They watch two employees spar down below.

"Is everything okay?"

"Hn," he crouches to rest a chin on his hand.

"Is it about Sound?"

Sasuke wonders if he should tell his brother about his deal with the Fire Lord. On one hand, Minato wants to keep everything quiet. On the other, Itachi is going to find out everything anyway through the position he has in the company.

"I'm telling you this in confidence, but we talked about Naruto. Minato wants me to watch him at his school. Looks like Father is going to get his wish, I'll be attending the academy starting Monday."

"Good."

Brows furrowing, Sasuke turns to see his brother's expression. Unsurprisingly, his focus is aimed straight ahead, and his face is, as usual, blank.

"What do you mean 'good'? It's going to be a pain in the ass."

"This way everyone gets what they want. Father and Mother get to see you back in school. You get to work for the company like you've always wanted. And Minato has a safer alternative to watch his child. Besides, I have never liked that Sai character much."

"It's going to be awful."

"Nonsense. You'll do an excellent job. You always do." There's a faint trace of a smile on the man's face.

Not knowing how to respond to the rare praise, Sasuke turns his attention back to the practicing agents.

"Hn," the younger ignores the heat pushing at his cheeks.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

(1) Hayate is the guy who coughs a lot during the Chunin exam in case anyone needs the reminder.

Thank you everyone for your support and comments! Both on Fanfiction and on Archive of our Own! An early update is the reward for your efforts.

You get four extra pages in this one. :D I went back and added some things in. Hope it doesn't feel rushed and answers more questions rather than it asks.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

 **Next time** : Let's see what Tsunade has to say about Sasuke's results, shall we?


	8. Chapter Eight: Another Doctors appt

**Chapter Eight** : **Another Doctor's Appointment**

* * *

(Saturday)

The next day, Sasuke gets up and decides to switch the jog up a little by going all out in the forest behind his house. Sticking to the areas he's familiar with, he makes sure not to get lost and returns in time.

For breakfast, his mom has compiled a huge pile of french toast, and Sasuke ignores a glare from Itachi as he steals the last piece, and shoves the whole thing in his mouth. Unlike his brother and mother, he has no love for anything overly sweet, like syrup or powdered sugar.

Ready to get the day over with, he rushes to help clean up and gets ready to go out the door. However, his family doesn't have his same sense of urgency and takes their sweet time before piling into his father's black Cadillac Escalade. Apparently, his Saturday appointment has become a family trip because they need more "bonding time."

His mother attempts to start a conversation with him on the way there, but Sasuke isn't interested. After another grunt, she notices his dark mood and focuses her efforts on the other two in the SUV.

They finally pull in and, much like last time, enter the lobby to make the receptionist aware of their presence. Instead of instructing them to sit down, she calls in the one called "Shizune," who leads them to Tsunade's office.

They end up in a large oval room with two silver couches featuring blue pillows on the left side and a black coffee table in the middle to separate them. On the other side, a mini fridge, several black files cabinets and an enormous white bookshelf decorate the right wall of the lavender colored office. There is a large, circling bay window behind the dark mahogany desk where Tsunade sits.

She looks up as they enter the room and make themselves comfortable on the three seats surrounding the desk. Fugaku opts to stand nearby as his wife takes the last silver armchair.

Before Tsunade can initiate any exchange, Mikoto starts first. "Sasuke hasn't been very forthcoming. I demand to know what's going on with my baby."

The room looks at her in surprise. "What? It's obvious something is different with his body, and I'm not talking about puberty. I'm tired of pretending everything is normal and fine. As one of his legal guardians, you _will_ tell me."

Tsunade turns to meet Sasuke's eyes, almost asking for permission to explain his condition to the family.

Frustrated, he switches his vision to the wall and subtly bites his cheek. Why did they have to do this on a day that everyone has off? Sometimes his father would go to work on the weekends, but the man decided now to take an active role in Sasuke's life? He's eleven years too late. If he wanted to show support for his youngest son, he should have started by going to his soccer games in primary school.

"Alright, yes, I did want to have a chat with him as soon as I could. I read over some of his files from his time in Sound, and the results are a little alarming."

Sasuke refuses to take his gaze off a ridiculous painting of a pig as he feels Itachi tensing up next to him. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"I'm sorry, there's no way to say this delicately," she links her fingers together and purses her lips.

 _She's going to tell them_ _about declining health._ Sasuke clenches his eyes shut, bracing himself for the impending doom.

First, there will be protests, more questions, and demands for him to be fixed. Then, the pity will settle in. He'll get even more than what he's been receiving now. Everyone will walk on softer eggshells around him. Conversations are either going to be awkward, frustrating, or depressing.

He will get this woman back for making his life more complicated than it needs to be.

"So, I'll just come out and say it. Your son is a super-soldier." He quickly focuses back on the doctor. Feeling an immense sense of relief, he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. She didn't tell them the whole truth.

" _What_?" Fugaku finally speaks.

"Yes, I couldn't believe it myself. In fact, I still find it hard to wrap my head around. The science is there, but I honestly need to affirm it with my own eyes."

"So, he's not sick?" Mikoto asks, a hand pressing against her chest.

"Not from what I can tell," she lies.

"Oh, thank goodness!" his mother closes her eyes and falls back into the chair.

"What do you mean he's a 'super-solider'?" His brother does not seem to share his mother's relief.

"As in, he has superhuman strength, high physical endurance, and a few other abilities. I mentioned before that this is something I have to see for myself. Sasuke, I know it might be difficult for you but do you think you could allow me to runs a few tests?" The doctor's mouth quirks up a little at the sides, making her face form a mischievous expression.

There's not really a choice here. If he doesn't agree, she can easily tell his family the downsides to his abilities. "Fine, it won't be a problem."

"Good!" She stands up. "I'd like to get started right away. This may take some time, so the rest of you are welcome to go visit the hospital gift shop, check out the cafeteria or do whatever. There's even a library if you so wish. I'll call you when we're finished."

Mikoto slowly stands as well. "We can't come with?"

Coming around the side of the desk, Tsunade pauses. "To be honest, this could take a while, and a lot of our testing equipment is located in smaller rooms. Having this many bodies might mess up the results. It's best if we only have a few people in there."

This woman is not the best liar, but if she wants Sasuke to cooperate, it seems she is doing what she can to make him comfortable. Not that he's complaining, he just hopes his parents buy it.

Regardless of whether they do or not, his mother nods and exits out the door. He catches her frowning before she leaves his sight.

 _This is the best way_ , he tries to reassure himself.

"Fugaku," Tsunade catches the man before he can follow his wife.

"Yes?"

"Minato also asked me to include a physical to go along with Sasuke's application. I'll be sending you the results when we're finished."

Well, that explained why this appointment happened so quickly. Minato asked her to rush things along. Sasuke hopes she's had time to read through all the information he gave to her a few days ago.

Fugaku doesn't look phased, he must be updated on the situation as well. "Thank you."

"Of course," she smiles. The left corner of her mouth twitches. Sasuke is reminded that Tsunade does not like his father.

This leaves the two and Itachi, who has yet to leave his spot by the armchair.

They give the standing man an expectant look. "I find this whole appointment to be quite suspicious. Just remember despite Sasuke's... recent independence, as Mother said, we are still his guardians and have the final say on any and all procedures. We won't allow him to become a science experiment again."

"Itachi," the doctor laughs off his comment. "Who is the world-renowned doctor here, you or me? We are just going to do a few physical tests. It's not like I'm going to take him into one of my operation rooms and perform brain surgery. I've already promised to hand over the results to your parents who, as you said, are Sasuke's _guardians_."

'As in, not you,' is insinuated.

His face doesn't change. "That may be so, but it's painfully obvious something else is going on here, and I will find out what it is. Poking and prodding old wounds does more harm than good."

After saying his piece, he leaves the room.

As flattered as Sasuke is that his brother is looking out for him, he can't help but also be a little surprised. This is a side of his brother he hasn't seen in a long time. Sure, Itachi has always been a little (or a lot) overprotective, but he still was always respectful to his elders. The blatant disrespect is something he's only seen once before…

"That could have gone better." Sasuke finally speaks up.

She glares at him. "Brat, shut up. This is your fault. You wanted to hide your condition from them. If you were honest and told them on the first day about your failing health, we wouldn't have to go to such measures to cover it up. Now, they're suspicious and expecting the worst. If we're not careful and leave proof of withholding information, I could get in a lot of trouble."

"Maybe, if you were a better liar than things would have gone more smoothly."

"Maybe if Minato hadn't asked me to do this, I would do my damn job and tell your parents about your heart, which doesn't appear fixable, and then, they would keep you bedridden for what's left of your short life!" Her chest heaves.

Heat creeps onto Sasuke's face. He mustn't get angry right now. He had already lost his cool on Wednesday. He is not going to let his control slip again.

The doctor closes her eyes and presses a hand against her forehead to collect herself. Sasuke takes the time as well.

Breathe in. Breathe out. He is not going to respond.

It's silent except for the background noise outside the office. In an effort to reign in his temper, he feels a muscle in his cheek twitch.

Finally, the hand comes down. "I need a drink. Look, I'm sorry, that was unprofessional and uncalled for. I haven't been getting much sleep over these last few days. When I'm not working, I just can't stop picturing the awful experiments my old friend had subjected those children to, I never thought he'd become such a monster. Once I do a few exams, maybe I can come up with something that can help you."

He doubted it. Orochimaru and Kabuto worked on it for a year and still never came up with much of a solution.

"It's fine. Let's just get this over with." he stands, keeping his fists in a tight ball.

"They don't call me the best doctor for nothing. If anyone can fix your situation, it's me."

Even if she got his heart to cooperate, his eyes are still going to fail him in several years.

"Whatever," he ignores her attempts to remedy her previous words. Leaving the room, he turns to wait for her to lock up and show him where the first exam is.

A little while later, he finds himself running his frustrations off on a treadmill, hooked up with various wires attached to his shirtless chest. Thankfully, they didn't try to make him wear a revealing gown and loaned him a pair of gray sweat pants so he wouldn't have to run in his jeans.

He's been going on the device's fastest speed (25 MPH) after a little warm up. At the start of the hour, Sasuke caught Tsunade pressing her lips together with a furrowed brow looking down at the data on her tablet. Despite her worried expression, he wasn't bothered. The treadmill here only runs at half the speed Orochimaru's got to. He's safely done higher speeds for longer.

She is still making the same face as she stands to the side of the device, not looking up much at all. Not that he wants her to watch him, no. He's had enough of that. Sasuke just wonders why she hasn't reacted the scars on his back. Sure, the _procedure_ was in one of the files he gave her but everyone who's seen it has made some stupid comment or noise. Maybe she thought talking would disturb his test somehow.

Suddenly, a cool down message runs across the middle screen and starts him out of his thoughts. The machine starts to slow down, and his jog turns into a slow walking pace until it stops altogether.

Taking a few breaths, he steps down off the treadmill and receives a water bottle along with a towel. He drinks all the water and uses the towel to wipe himself down, careful to avoid the wires.

Finally, Tsunade decides to speak. "Your resting heart rate stays perpetually low at 40 beats per minute. When active, it speeds up way more than it should. A well-developed exercising heart can deliver a greater volume of blood at a slower rate. Despite the enlargements performed on your heart and valves, it's concerning how hard it's overworking. Do you ever experience dizziness, fainting, or swelling?"

"Not really," He runs a hand through his damp hair.

"Hmm. Well, we can't just replace your heart because of the alterations made to your current one. Even if we were to get a new heart, we don't possess the technology to make the same necessary fixes so your body won't reject the muscle… I will say one thing about Orochimaru. He sure knew what he was doing."

"It was Kabuto."

"What?" She asks as she takes off the conductive patches.

"Kabuto was the doctor. Orochimaru, the scientist. They said they were just going to replace parts, like my eyes and heart, when they gave out." He rubs one of the electrode sites.

"I see. And you said Kabuto was his name? I knew from the research that Orochimaru was working with someone, but I had no idea who. Now hearing the name, I'm not surprised. As a teenager, Kabuto already had his doctorate in Sound and worked at the main hospital. I remember reading about him in a magazine a few years back."

"He was a freak." Sasuke didn't want to talk about this anymore. "What's next?"

Sasuke puts on a shirt, and they leave the lab. Tsunade takes him into another room where she gets a blood and urine sample. Luckily, Sasuke had been drinking tons of water, so it didn't take long to produce one.

After a few other miscellaneous checks (she looks at his eyes, enlarged lungs, and does a few neurological exams), Tsunade declares that she is finished. As she takes off a glove, Sasuke glances outside and notices it's started to get dark. Not surprising considering it's mid-fall.

His stomach rumbles pretty loudly. He doesn't need to the sound to remind him that his head hurts, he's tired, incredibly hungry and has had tests run on him most the day. They had a small lunch break after he gave a blood sample but that was about four hours ago, and it definitely wasn't as much food as he needed.

The two make their way back to the woman's office, and she calls his family. Tsunade has Shizune bring up some sandwiches while they wait.

His parents must have been nearby because it only takes them about fifteen minutes to arrive. He's crumbling up the wrapper when a nurse lets them in. Sasuke's mother surprises him by grabbing him in a hug from behind.

"Mother, you just saw me this morning."

"And as your mom, I have the right to hug you whenever I want. Expect it a lot more to make up for lost time," she releases his shoulders and takes the chair on the right.

His father and Itachi file in behind. The door gets closed while Tsunade wipes off any stray crumbs on her desk.

"I'll make this brief. Shizune and I will be sending you a more detailed report once we get the blood work finished. But basically, make sure the kid keeps taking his medicine he received in Sound, it's been doing a great job at keeping his body balanced. However, if he misses a few days, things will go south very quickly. I'll make sure you get a customized refill before his current supply runs out. Also, there is a limitation to his accelerated metabolism. Sasuke will need to eat large amounts of food for it to keep up."

"That explains his fearsome appetite," he hears Itachi mumble under his breath. If not for their mother sitting in between them, Sasuke would have subtly stomped on his brother's foot.

"Otherwise," the woman continues. "As long as he doesn't overwork that athletic body of his, he should be good to go. Seriously, don't let him overdo it. We'll schedule another appointment about a month from now to see if there are any changes."

"Good. So, are we done here?" His ever-impatient father asks.

"Pretty much. Unless you have any questions?"

"Not at the moment, if there are any more inquiries, I'll be sure to call and ask," he answers.

Sasuke takes in the man's serious expression. In other words, Fugaku will be trying to decide how to best use his son's new body to his advantage. He's a fool to think Sasuke will cooperate outside of his own self-interests.

The family leaves the room without any protests this time. Sasuke shoves his hands in his pockets as the group exits through the automatic doors and out into the chilly air.

Tch, the days where he allowed his father to control him are long over. Alright, the man may be his boss, and he's pleased to be considered such a valuable asset, but the fact doesn't change that Minato has already assigned him a long-term mission. Any other tasks USO asks of him are going to have to be small and ones that won't take away from his current job.

Speaking of which, Mikoto is chatting about how they used their time today to enroll Sasuke at the Academy, pick up his school uniforms and pay for the textbooks. He should probably be listening.

"I'm so happy you're going back to school even if it's for a job," she smiles back at him as she buckles her seat belt.

"Hn." Father must have given her a vague briefing of his mission.

"It's going to be good for you to be around kids your age."

"We'll have to see about that. I don't think it's going to fix his bad attitude. If anything, it's going to make him act even more like an entitled teenager," Itachi voices from the seat across from him.

"Shut it, Itachi," Sasuke crosses his arms and watches them back out of the parking space.

"See? No respect," the older sounds smug.

Sasuke stubbornly refuses to respond for the rest of the ride home. When they arrive, he goes straight to his room, ignoring another one of his brother's comments about him being a moody teen, to put his new school items away. Then, it's off to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat.

The rest of the family is off doing their own thing, so he devours his food in a peaceful silence before washing the dishes and going to his bedroom.

Picking up the math book on his bed, he flips through the last chapters and notes that the content isn't anything difficult. Repeating the action with the other texts, he feels the same and confidently stuffs the books in his new backpack along with a few writing utensils, notebooks and gym clothes. He sets the bag by the desk and moves on the uniforms. Not bothering to look at them, he hangs the outfits in his closet.

Now, he just has to prepare himself for tomorrow.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

Phew, for some reason had a hard time trying to shape out the end of the chapter.

Um, I'm not a doctor. I don't even work in the medical field so please don't judge too harshly. However, if there is something big I need to fix, let me know. :) Just keep in mind, this is fanfiction.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

 **Next time** : We get a brief flashback of Sasuke's life in Sound, and his father interferes in his affairs. Again.


	9. Chapter Nine: Captivity

_*Uh, this chapter goes to a dark place. I didn't even realize until midway through that I should probably pop a warning up at the top. So, without spoiling too much, here is your warning: Dark themes ahead including starvation and horrible things that go along with being held captive._

* * *

 **Chapter Nine** : Captivity

* * *

(Sunday)

Sasuke takes a quick moment to check his outfit before heading downstairs. He opted to dress in a suit for the meeting. It's been awhile since he's last worn one.

He adjusts the tie and descends downstairs. Breakfast is its usual affair, and afterward, his father leads him and Itachi out to the SUV so they can take off.

The roads are a little congested, but they make it to City Hall with ten minutes to spare. Sasuke follows his father as they head inside, and make their way to the conference room. A huge, modular table takes up most the room's space. About twelve chairs surround the connecting surfaces, leaving a square-shaped gap in the middle.

Sasuke takes the seat with his place card at the back end of the room. His father goes to sit next to Minato, who is already chatting with a few of the department representatives, at the front end. Itachi takes his place as USO's second in command.

Technically, his brother's attendance is a little questionable. As long as the group has Fugaku, they don't need another USO employee. He wonders which strings Itachi pulled to be here and why. Guess time will tell.

The teen mentally shrugs looks around to see what other faces he recognizes.

Shikaku Nara (Head Strategist) sits on the Fire Lord's left, picking at a nail. Next to him, Mitokado Homura is engaged in a conversation across the table with his fellow Counselor, Utatane Koharu. Tsunade (his doctor, and Head of Human Services and Health) is adjacent to the woman's left giving her opinion on Ibiki's (Head of National Security and Defense) unhealthy cat. Anko Mitarashi (Head of Foreign Affairs) is laughing at the man's unusually flustered face.

A few other new faces filter about the room as well, but he doesn't recognize them. They must have lower, but still important positions.

At the clearing of Fugaku's throat, Minato quickly finishes up his conversation and bangs his nearby gavel a moment later. The room quiets and those who are still standing, sit. All the attention focuses on the Fire Lord.

"Right, I'll be conducting this time so let's go ahead and get this meeting started. I apologize for calling you all out here on this beautiful Sunday morning, but there are a few pressing issues we need to discuss.

First off, three years ago, Fugaku's son was taken by Orochimaru to Sound. As I'm sure most of you have recently seen on the news, he is now back. I've requested his attendance today to ask a few security questions and get some information about the country he was in."

Sasuke resists an urge to crack his stiff neck. Hopefully, this won't take too long. And, if he plays his cards right, he can get them to take a positive interest in Sound.

"We've already interviewed the Uchiha about the day he was taken and are looking into the security breach. Orochimaru was a cunning traitor who had inside information. We are taking every preventative measure to ensure an incident like this never happens again. Young man, while I am extremely sorry for what happened, you also have my sincerest gratitude for protecting my son. Thank you, I am in your debt."

Uncomfortable with the man's emotional gaze, and all the other eyes in the room, Sasuke looks down at the red carpet to his left. "Just... don't let it happen again."

"I'm _sure_ what my son meant to say was: it was his pleasure. He is glad to have been of assistance. The Uchiha pride themselves on keeping your family and others safe. It's in his blood."

Sasuke sees no reason to look up and see his father schmoozing to the Fire Lord. Ridiculous. If it had been anyone other than Naruto, he would have let the psychopath have at them. Okay, maybe he would have done the same thing for Itachi or his mother and, possibly Minato, but still.

"While that may be the case, Fugaku, I don't want to undermine Sasuke's sacrifice." The teen can, once again, feel the man's heavy stare. He decides to quit studying the floor and face the man head on.

He starts to open his mouth, but the Fire Lord continues. "Son, we would like you to share your experience with us. Because of the closed off borders, Sound has been incredibly hard to get into until recently. You are the first we've seen go in from Fire and successfully get out during the time it was locked down. I'd like you to start at the beginning. We'll try to hold all our questions until the end."

If that's the case, and he can help move along this meeting, he is happy to comply. So, he began the telling of his edited version. Minato may know some of the truth, but Sasuke didn't have any intention of telling the others.

So, he told them the story (once again) of how he directed Orochimaru's attention and got in his vehicle. Then, how the man blindfolded him and took him to a cold, underground facility. A cave-like structure that only had one entrance which was heavily guarded, discouraging any thoughts of escape. Not that many tried; the punishment for getting caught involved being thrown into "the pit."

An involuntary shudder wracks his frame at the mention of the word. Thankfully, they don't ask him to elaborate at his pause, so he continues. "I spent my first couple weeks in a cell with eight people. Well, at least there were eight when I first arrived. By the time they transferred me to the lab, I was the only one left. Apparently, they had subjected us all to the same virus, and my immune system was the only one capable of fighting if off. I figured it was because I was a recent arrival. The others looked like they had been in captivity for far longer."

The middle part isn't exactly true. They only gave Sasuke a bracelet to monitor his vitals before locking him in the dungeon, there was not any virus involved. The truth is more gruesome.

If Sasuke closes his eyes, he can still smell the foul, decaying odor of the small square foot room. There wasn't any privacy. The left corner had a bucket for waste, but the other subjects had all but given up on moving for such a trivial bodily function. " _Just let it go where you are_ ," they wearily advised on the second day when he couldn't hold it any longer as he squatted in the corner. He disregarded an old man's warning of saving his energy for the inevitable fight when the meager food rations would get dropped off. Sasuke wasn't going to be reduced to the pitiful state that the others had fallen into. He was an Uchiha, and he had his pride, dammit.

Despite being the youngest, he'd punch and kick until he could wrestle away whatever he could get from the thinner bodies every third morning and shove the morsel down his throat. It was every man for himself. By the end of the second week, no one talked to him anymore because they either hated him for getting most of the food or they were too tired. Even _he_ was now wondering what the point of getting up was. Then, one day, the man who collected the dead came in holding his nose, yanked him to his feet and shuffled him off to a shower room.

" _Clean yourself off_ ," he had said.

Happy to oblige, Sasuke went over to the first stall and spent nearly an hour scrubbing, doing just that. He didn't even care that the water was cold.

They gave him new clothes, and Orochimaru praised him for his "ruthlessness." Sasuke had to suppress his shame. He didn't try to equal out the one-person portion they received in the morning. Water was given freely. Why should he help those who didn't want to help themselves? They'd rather sit in their own waste wallowing in self-pity than fight for survival. Besides, Sasuke had his own hunger and reason to fight. He needed to keep Orochimaru's attention even if he had to throw away his humanity. The life of his best friend depended on it.

He pushed down the unpleasant feeling in his gut. "My time in the lab went exactly as you'd expect," he told the room. "They did a few experimental adjustments on my body. After my recovery, they were pleased with the results and added me to a training class. It seemed Orochimaru was preparing his army to go to war."

Taking a quick second to study the reactions, he notes that no one is surprised by his revelation. Not that they should be, they all know of the scientist's desire for more power.

"The rest of the time in the program was used for building stamina and strengthening our bodies. We spent some time with weaponry and learning basic military tactics. Once and awhile they'd pull one of us back onto the operating table for a few tweaks, but otherwise, there wasn't much excitement."

"Excitement," he hears Counselor Homura scoff.

He ignores the rude comment and scrutinizing eyes. "By the time I had been there for two years, they took my group off of the island and moved us out to patrol their cities."

"Wait," his father interrupts. "They took you out of the facility? Why didn't you try to escape a year ago?"

Minato intervenes. "I thought we were going to save all questing until the end."

"It's fine," Sasuke waves them off. "None of us could escape because we had ankle monitors that would explode if we went out of range of our commander. They weren't small explosions, either. They were designed to take us, and whatever was within the next three meters."

He takes his eyes off the somber Uchiha patriarch and moves on. "The country had strict regulations, so we had a lot to enforce. When the rebellion started, it didn't really come as a surprise.

One night, there was an attack near the barracks we slept in. Naturally, we all rushed into our gear and marched outside. Taka, the local vigilante, was up on the roof of the squad next door, fighting its commander. By the time another explosion shook the ground, Taka had pushed the other man off the roof and started shouting in the chaos. Basically, he told us that Orochimaru's group was getting disbanded. We could all stay in the country, join his side and live as happy, law-abiding citizens until the day we die, or we could stay in the group that favored Orochimaru and run because we were all going to be killed. Naturally, at his display of power, everyone sided with him.

Our devices were deactivated, we put out the fires. Some of us settled down for the night, while others went out in celebration. I saw my chance to escape and took it. The country was still locked down at that point, but I knew the patrols, so it wasn't too difficult to sneak out. Once I got past the wall, I borrowed a vehicle and got the hell out of dodge. I think you can guess the rest of the story."

It had bits of the truth to it. Except, Sasuke had been away from the island a few times before his promotion to Taka, the squad leader for his small group. He may not have had to wear ankle bracelet but just the knowledge of what would happen should he decide escape was enough. Eventually, his team bested even the Sound Four and got assigned high-class missions.

"You mentioned this 'Taka,'" a counselor starts off with the first question. "How dangerous of a threat is he? Rumor has it that he toppled a few villages by himself."

Sasuke waves the man off. "Those rumors are exaggerated, as rumors always are. The country is busy stabilizing itself. They don't have the time or resources to target their neighbors."

"For now. However, once they get to their feet they'll want to walk." Koharu adds her two cents.

"If you form an alliance with them, you won't have to worry about them trying to invade here. If you help them now, I'm sure they will repay the favor later," Sasuke makes a bold statement.

No one says anything for a few seconds, all are too busy staring at him. Well, let them think what they want. He did come over to help, it is as good as time as any for them to see his stance.

"We'll discuss this further in another meeting," Fire Lord decides.

In other words, 'when you're not here,' Sasuke mentally interprets.

"Right, let's move on."

Sasuke ends up answering several more inquiries ranging from his new abilities to Orochimaru's hideouts, experiments, subordinates, Kimimaro, and the new state of Sound. Finally, after what feels like a few hours, they wrap up and adjourn.

Sasuke is walking in silence next to his brother down the courthouse stairs when his father's hand falls onto his shoulder.

Surprised, he turns to look at the man.

"We have a meeting with a reporter from CNN soon."

"What? When did this happen?"

"When they contacted me, and I set one up."

"Father…" Itachi speaks for the first time from this morning, but Sasuke tunes him out. This is Fugaku's way of getting back at him for the press conference a few days ago. After Sasuke's short statement, the man said they would "talk about this later." Well, it's later.

They are still arguing.

"He was not clear enough with his first statement. I told him he should have let me handle it. Now, the sharks want more. If we give CNN an exclusive to his story, we won't have to worry about the media lurking around the office or at our home. With just one interview, it will be over, and our lives will be easier. Think of this as a band-aid: it's better to rip it all off at once rather than prolong the suffering."

"You didn't even ask for Sasuke's consent. If he wants to keep his life private, then he has the right to do so!"

"It's fine!" Sasuke finally growls. "But this is the last time. No more impromptu meetings after this."

"Good." The Uchiha patriarch smirks and makes his way down the stairs.

"Sasuke, you don't have to do this." He ignores the look his brother is giving him and follows his father back to the car.

"Like I said, it's fine."

After a heavy sigh, Itachi too, makes his way down.

* * *

The one-on-one session with the reporter doesn't take much time. Sasuke tells the man with brown hair the nearly same story he fed some members of Minato's cabinet, leaving out any ties to Naruto and the abilities he's gained. After he is done, the reporter tries to question Itachi, but his brother doesn't have it. So, the man moves on to Fugaku, who, apparently had a few words to say. Mainly about how proud he was of his son's escape and how well he's handled the situation.

"A true Uchiha," he ends. But not before adding another shameless plug for their company.

Inwardly, Sasuke boils on their way home.

How dare his father use his kidnapping as a way to advertise for USO.

How _dare_ he!

Using Sasuke's experience for his own benefit. Tch, he should throw the man in a jail cell and starve him for a week to see how he handles it. He doubts Fugaku would come out as strong as he did.

It may be true that his family is made up of a bunch of manipulators, but this is going too far. The only thing his father cares about is his image and his legacy.

Then again, maybe the man thought he is protecting his son by delivering the story to a single, trusted source. That way they wouldn't have to deal with wild rumors or media ambushes.

Whatever. It still pisses him off.

As soon as they arrive at the house, it's back out to the woods for Sasuke.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

This chapter wasn't having it. However, now that we've gotten all this out of the way, we can move on to Sasuke's first day of High School. I mean, the first day on the job. :)

On another note, man, Fugaku seems like such a bad parent. He's not very good with his emotions and only trying to help his son out in the ways he knows how. He's coming off as quite the douche though. Not exactly my intention. Woops.

Also, I added a few more tags on AO3. If you're from Fanfiction, you might want to take a look at the comment section there. You might find some brief spoilers/teasers. ;) OR, if you have a question you desperately want to be answered, I'm better at replying on that site than FF. I'm sorry! I'll do better here.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Naruto or CNN.

 **Next time** : High School, a flirty secretary, and well, Naruto.


	10. Chapter Ten: High School Never Ends

**Chapter 10** : High School Never Ends

* * *

(Sunday/Monday)

That night Sasuke goes through a file his father gives him upon his return from the woods. He stares at a small picture of Naruto paper clipped to the left corner. The boy he once knew is starting to look like a man. Gone are the cherub cheeks and a strong jaw bone has taken in its place. Sure, the eyes and hair and, even expression are as bright as always, but he's definitely matured. Not a word he thought he'd ever use in a sentence with Naruto.

The rest of the papers contain information on the subject's schedule, friends, and after-school hangouts. There is also a brief sheet on Sai and a blueprint of the school. Not too much information is on the other guard, but it isn't needed. Sasuke has already formed his own opinion.

See, he had met the socially impaired teen about eight months ago. He was doing a job for Orochimaru in Rain when they crossed paths. It was Sasuke's mission to bring back crucial intel back to Sound. It was Sai's job to intercept and steal said information to bring it back to Root.

To say the least, the fight did not go well. Sasuke left the bastard there unconscious to pay for what was left of the hotel room. However, he himself not did come out unscathed.

At the time he didn't know the agent's name or who he worked for but looking at the picture of his new "partner" makes his gut twist. Luckily, Sasuke was in his Taka disguise when he was ambushed so at least he won't be recognized. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Sai has an annoying mouth on him and is going to be incredibly difficult to work with.

With a sigh, he memorizes the rest of the folder and locks it away.

It doesn't take long to get ready for bed, and his phone's alarm is going off before he knows it.

Looking the rain coming down outside, he opts to do a thousand pull ups on a bar he sets up in his closet door frame. At first, he's afraid it might not hold because Sasuke is a _little_ heavy. However, there's not a problem, and he's able to accomplish his goal. He even has time to work on some sit ups.

He showers and goes down for food. His mother and father sit at the table enjoying their breakfast.

"Where's Itachi?" He rubs a dark blue towel through his scalp to dry his hair.

"He shouldn't miss any more class, so he drove back to the university this morning. Don't worry; he'll be back to hear about your first day of high school," Mikoto smiles. His brother must have left while Sasuke was in the shower. Otherwise, he would have heard his departure.

"You're on the front page." His father changes the subject, still focusing down at the newspaper.

"Hn." Not that Sasuke cares. He just wants all this attention to be done with. He is also willing to bet he's on the first pages of Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and who knows what else. Fuck.

Shaking his head, he piles a bunch of bacon, sausage, and eggs onto his plate before taking his seat across from his brother's empty chair.

It doesn't take long to polish off his share, so he finishes up and heads upstairs. Tossing the towel in the hamper, he moves to his closet to shrug on the uniform his mom picked up on Saturday. While the black pants are a perfect size, the white shirt and dark blue blazer are a little snug across his heavily defined chest.

He eyes the material in the mirror as he stretches a bit. Nothing rips or pops open, so he figures he's good to go. Stepping into the bathroom, he picks out some gel to attempt to smooth down the back of his hair and style it a bit. Without any guidance, it has a tendency to stick straight up. After a few minutes, he washes his hands off. It's not completely gelled down, as few strands of hair are still determined to rise, but at least it's better now.

Grabbing the backpack with his new supplies in it, he heads downstairs. His mother is already putting some heels on so he joins her at the shoe rack and picks up his Converse shoes. Just a few minutes later, they are out the door and on their way.

They pull up through the gates and into the academy's driveway. It takes them a few minutes to find a spot to park due to so many other cars and a few limos edging their way through the parking lot. Finally, his mother finds a vacant place with a visitor's sign in front and turns of car off.

"Are you excited?" She asks, closing her door.

Sasuke, who's already out of the car and looking around, merely grunts. The school hadn't changed much at all. He remembers it from the times he'd go with his mother to drop Itachi off.

Seemingly not discouraged from her son's lack of excitement, Mikoto makes her way to the front entrance with a bounce in her step.

Ignoring a growing group of gawking students, Sasuke follows behind her. He's not thrilled at the fact that she's here with him but knows it's a necessity. They have to stop by the office to get his schedule, locker combination, and sign a few papers.

Plus, if it helps her feel better about his distance self, it's a worthwhile sacrifice.

When they eventually enter the office and check in with the secretary, it takes them about fifteen minutes to finish up talking and to look through the paperwork.

"Well, that about wraps it up. Thank you for coming in today Mrs. Uchiha," the man with short brown hair smiles up at her from his chair behind the desk.

Sasuke shoots the secretary a level two ( **1** ) glare, and the flirtatious smile immediately disappears. The young adult coughs. "Anyway, Homeroom will be starting soon so we should hurry Sasuke along."

"Alright, thank you for your time. Make sure to call me if there are any problems."

"There won't be Mother," Sasuke intervenes, so the secretary doesn't have another excuse to talk to her.

He can pick out the amusement in her eyes and then there's - "I just worry. I don't want anyone bullying you."

Sasuke ignores a snort from behind the desk. "I can more than handle myself. Especially against a bunch of puny High Schoolers."

"Words can hurt more than actions."

"I'll be fine. Besides, I need to get going," Sasuke insists.

"Okay," she sighs and readjusts her purse.

She opens the office door and looks back one last time. "I'll pick you up after school. I love you."

The secretary waits until the floor is fully closed before he breaks out in a laugh.

Sasuke whips around and gives the man a level four. Instantly, there's silence.

"Right, um, anyway, the principal wants to see you before you go to class. His door is at the back of the hall." The secretary looks down nervously and goes back to his work.

Following the instructions, Sasuke almost doesn't bother to knock before walking in. Recalling his manners at the last second, his knuckles hit the door twice before he responds to a: "Come in."

He opens the door and falters.

"Iruka?" It pops out of his mouth before he can stop it.

An eyebrow twitches.

"I apologize, Rather, Principal Umino now. Naruto used to call you by your first name in class. I suppose it just stuck with the rest of us."

"Indeed."

"I take it, congratulations are in order? You've clearly advanced quite a bit," he safely changes the subject as he approaches the center of the closed room and makes himself comfortable on an armchair.

The man's expression shifts from polite to proud. "Yes, while I do miss teaching children, this position also has its own rewards."

"I see. Your secretary said you want to see me?"

"Ah, yes. Minato informed me of your… endeavor," a disapproving frown tugs at the man's lips. "Only I and your partner are to know of your true task here."

"Yes, I'm doing some bodyguarding for my father now, and the Fire Lord has requested my assistance."

"You're just a child."

It's Sasuke's turn to have his eyebrow twitch. In Sound, age was just a number. Survival had nothing to do with how old you were. In consequence, everyone was treated according to their rank and accomplishments rather than how long they had lived. To say he had gotten used to the system would be an understatement. The people from this country just didn't understand.

"I have accomplished much in a short time. I should be attending college, but here I am, working on this mission first."

The man lets out a heavy sigh. He has always been too concerned for others. "Are you sure you want to do this? Teenagers are cruel, and you've just come out of a horrible situation. It will make your job difficult."

"I can handle it. My _situation_ , as you say, makes for an attractive cover."

He receives a measured look before the man continues. "Then know that I do not tolerate violence. _In any circumstance_. If someone is bothering you, come to the teachers or me, and we will talk it out. Aside from that, I expect your full silence and cooperation while you keep an eye on Naruto. This is a prestigious school, and you are not the only one working here to keep someone safe."

"Noted. Is that all?" He can only handle so much mothering. Particularly coming from someone other than his own.

"Yes, do you need someone to show you to your homeroom?"

"I'll be fine on my own."

The story of his life.

* * *

Ten minutes later, he finds himself staring at the door to a classroom. He can see a figure standing before the room through the distorted glass.

He takes a deep breath, annoyed that he feels a little anxious.

It's not because he's about to take a step into a room full of strangers. No, it's because of Naruto. His ex-best friend is sitting in that class. Someone, who, he's fantasized about quite a bit. Someone he used to be very close with. He's not quite sure where they stand now.

Sasuke's heart pounds harder, and he feels the blood go south.

Shit. Why is his dick acting up now of all times? He needs to calm himself down before presenting himself in front of the room.

He focuses on something else. Sasuke wonders how the class will react to his sudden appearance. If they were still kids, Naruto would stand up from the back, point and start yelling.

But they aren't kids anymore.

And this isn't helping.

A quick, mental image of his father wildly doing the Macarena in a thong in enough to calm him down.

He shudders. Itachi taught him that trick years ago before Sasuke left for Sound. It hasn't failed him yet.

A minute after collecting himself, the young Uchiha wipes a sweaty palm on his dress pants and finally opens the door.

As expected, all heads turn in his direction. The teacher stops talking and gestures for him to stand nearby. "We've been expecting you."

Sasuke walks over, determined to avoid meeting any eyes.

"We have a new student today. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?"

He finally looks.

There are around twenty teens in the classroom. Sasuke doesn't see anyone he recognizes. Then, his eyes roam to the far right corner. First, he spots that annoyingly fake smile. Sai.

He can't help it. He scowls.

The student next to his "partner" shifts. It catches Sasuke's full attention after he notices a flash of an orange bracelet under the standard school uniform.

Sasuke will never admit to it, but his breath catches. Maybe his pupils dilate. The picture did not do his old friend justice.

The blond hair sparkles from the angle the sun hits it through the window. The light also showcases the form-fitting uniform. His ocean-like orbs, perfectly structured face, full lips and sun-kissed skin complete the package.

Their eyes meet. In the past, the two used to be able to hold a conversation just by glancing at each other. Now, all he sees is a carefully blank stare. Fabricated boredom is on its surface but beneath he can detect the curiosity.

A golden eyebrow arches.

Amusement flares in Sasuke's gut at the memories of how long it took Naruto to do such an action. Many hours of practice and silly faces went into that crafting that expression. It's nice to see it fully mastered.

Naruto's eyebrows then tug down in irritation. He's noticed Sasuke's mirth.

"Sasuke?"

He peeks back to the teacher and moves on to the class.

"Sasuke Uchiha." He simply states. That ought to tell them everything they need to know.

After it's apparent he's not going to say anything more, the whispers break out.

"Everybody quiet down! Sasuke, you don't want to tell us about any hobbies, or-or interesting tidbits about yourself?" the man stutters.

"Not really."

The Uchiha ignores a predictable scoff that comes from the back of the classroom.

"O-kay then. We'll finish up with the announcements then. You'll find an extra seat in the second row to your left."

The rest of his two classes follow a similar fashion. The homeroom teacher appoints him a guide whom he allows only because it would look suspicious if he voiced he had already memorized his schedule and the school's floor plan.

The guide, who, thankfully isn't chatty, shows him to his first class. Luckily, Sasuke doesn't have to introduce himself again, but the gawking and whispers still abound. Naruto and Sai are not in there with him or the next class.

By the time the bell signals the end of second period, no one has approached him to speak just yet. It seems they'd rather talk and speculate about him rather than go to the source. Despite the wild rumors spreading, Sasuke is grateful. He doesn't feel like dealing with more idiocy.

He packs a textbook into his backpack and follows a crowd making their way to the cafeteria. He has a lunch period now.

He follows the line through to the buffet island and selects anything with meat, filling his tray up as much as he can. Going to school has a way of making him more hungry for some reason.

He turns around, now is the tricky part. He'd like nothing more than to find a quiet spot and ignore everyone around him. However, he has a job to do.

He needs to find a spot near Naruto. Unfortunately, each lunch table is a collection of certain groups. For example, if he takes a seat at the one straight ahead, he's immediately going to be labeled as one of the stoners. Honestly, that table would be nice because most of his peers wouldn't be pestering him. Plus, he'd probably receive some exciting benefits. Too bad it was on the opposite side from Naruto's group.

Near the blond's table, Sasuke has his choice of gym rats, band members, and… some nerds? The table in the far back has students with strange hat accessories, glasses, or scarfs decorating their uniforms. They are definitely out.

The gym rats, Sasuke needs to avoid for obvious reasons. He doesn't want them pestering him to workout with them. That leaves the band members. He did take violin lessons when he was younger for a brief period...

Fuck it _,_ it's taking him too long to decide. He's Sasuke Uchiha. He can sit where he the hell he wants.

Sasuke makes his way over to Naruto's table.

* * *

 **A/N** :

* * *

( **1** ): Apparently, Sasuke's glares decided they have different levels in TNSPSR. I have decided to elaborate here (although it's not exactly necessary).

The _first_ is a light one he would use against his mother or Naruto.

 _Second_ : one used on weak idiots. It normally stops them before altercations have to break out.

 _Third_ : A glare used when/while fighting.

 _Fourth_ : A look reserved for those he truly hates.

 _Fifth_ : One hardly ever used. Usually in circumstances of betrayal from a close friend or family member.

Did anyone catch my tiny Harry Potter reference?

Also, one more thing. I went back and corrected a few errors in chapters 1-5 (only on A03). There was a small detail that I failed to add in the first chapter. That's all been fixed. And I'm sure there are more typos/grammar/punctuation errors that I've missed but hopefully, nothing major. One day, after I'm finished with the story, I'm to go back, make the chapters longer, combine some scenes together and fix more errors.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own the news, Naruto, Converse, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, or the Macarena (and I mildly sorry for exposing you to such an image).

 **Next time** : Cafeteria shenanigans with a few old faces. And Sasuke...well, you'll just have to see. :)


	11. Chapter Eleven: Old Acquaintances

**Chapter Eleven** :

* * *

(Monday)

The cafeteria goes silent as they watch him choose his seat. Like it's some sort of sacred ritual for him to select a place and for them to watch.

Sasuke internally scoffs at how fucking ridiculous it all is.

Finally arriving at the bench near the center of the room, he opts to sit as far away from Naruto as he can at the blond's table. That puts him next to… the bug boy. He recognizes him from his childhood but can't put a name to a face.

"Is this seat taken?" He asks to be polite but has already set down his tray and pulled a chair out.

"...you can sit here," the muffled voice reveals itself through his uniform's propped up collar. Naruto still pretends he hasn't noticed them but Sasuke spots a muscle in his face twitch.

However, Sasuke is already sitting.

Most of the students stop staring.

"We went to primary school together. You're…" Sasuke trails off to be polite. He feels obligated to initiate introductions.

"Shino," the other teen fills him in. "My name is Shino. We have our first period together, or did you not notice?"

Awkward.

Sasuke shrugs, not wanting to admit that no, he didn't notice. Plus, if he recalls correctly, the brunette has always had insecurities about being overlooked. Not that he feels guilty.

He looks away to examine the others sitting at the rectangular surface. Quite a few of their classmates from primary school fill up the table. Across from Sasuke sits Choji, followed by Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, and Naruto. On the Uchiha's side, after Shino, Hinata, Kiba, and Sai occupy the other seats.

Shikamaru seems to be eyeing him thoughtfully, but the rest are doing their best to ignore his presence. Treating him like an unwanted pimple.

So what if he's making them uncomfortable? He deserves to sit at this table just as much of the rest of them do. It would be his place if he had never left. Now that he's back, he still fits in with this group: the children of those on government payroll.

Ignoring the lazy teen still studying him, Sasuke turns to examine the cafeteria. Emergency exits take up a corner of the right wall. A teacher standing near the doors watches for any shenanigans. More teachers are scattered throughout the large room. He looks for hidden threats and catalogs what group sits where. A few eyes meet his but he disregards them.

It would be incredibly stupid for anyone to attack Naruto in the cafeteria, or the school in general but Sasuke still has to check.

Not detecting any threats, Sasuke turns to his food. It doesn't take him long to demolish the hefty helping and he picks up his pathetic paper napkin to make sure he doesn't have any leftover BBQ sauce on his face. This is when he notices that Choji has been holding a secret competition between the two to see who could inhale their food faster. Sasuke maybe beat Choji by fifteen seconds.

"Man, you eat fast." Choji acknowledges the challenge.

"I was unaware we were having a contest."

Choji's lips turn down in a pout, causing his cheeks spattered in BBQ sauce to puff out.

Disturbed, Sasuke busies himself with looking around the cafeteria trying to figure out where everyone deposits their empty trays.

Shikamaru decides to speak up. Prompted by his curiosity or his friend's somewhat hurt feelings, Sasuke can't tell. "So, you're back."

It's a simple statement, but the table falls silent.

Sakura, who's always had the biggest crush on him join in. "Yeah, how have you been?"

Sasuke notes a few winces as he mulls over how to answer the question. He could say "fine" and life would go on. Or he could say "shitty" and make them all feel even more uncomfortable.

Before he can choose, Naruto speaks for him. "Does it matter? Why is he sitting here anyway? Did anyone invite him?"

Sasuke is going to pretend that one didn't sting.

Naturally, Naruto is angry. So much so, that he's not even talking to Sasuke directly. This is a level of anger Sasuke has only witnessed once before. When they were about eight, Naruto's fat, fluffy orange cat named Gamakichi got ran over by a neighbor. It was an accident, but the Uchiha never saw the blond address his neighbor again.

Sasuke has a lot of work ahead of him.

"Naruto!" Sakura scolds before Sasuke can stick up for himself.

"What? Does he think he can come back and sit here and pretend everything is normal? That's not how this works."

"I read in a book-"

"No one asked you, Sai!" Sakura and Naruto interrupt simultaneously. Those two have always been able to yell in sync without practice. Sasuke takes it they yell at Sai a lot. A small part of himself can't help but feel a bit smug.

"Why are you acting like this? You used to be his best friend. Sasuke has as much of a right to sit here as the rest of us!"

A pinched expression comes over Naruto's face.

Sasuke recognizes it as pain, and instantly knows he's to blame. Why is he doing this assignment again? For his own self-interest? For Naruto's unwanted and practically unneeded protection? Is it worth it? Hasn't he already sacrificed enough? Initially, he was concerned about his friend's safety, but the school has eyes everywhere. Even an inside job would be nearly impossible to pull off. If that's the case, then no. It's not a good enough reason for him to make the blond feel this way. Especially on a level like this. The dead should just stay dead. More so if they're dying all over again.

"It's alright," he finally speaks up for himself, swallowing the lump that's climbed it's way up into his throat. "I'm done anyway."

Everyone watches him as he stands up. Everyone. Apparently, the cafeteria has quieted to listen to the argument.

He dumps his tray, like he's seen a few other students do, sets it in the window to the kitchen and leaves the room.

Sai is there to keep an eye on Naruto. Sasuke was a fool to feel like he was needed, or even wanted.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Sakura comes to find him just before their next class starts up.

She's too late to comfort him, though. He's already made up his mind to give Naruto more distance. And he can't just go back on his word. He's agreed to be the second babysitter with the Fire Lord and USO. He may not like it, but it would be embarrassing for him now to go back to them and say otherwise. He has his pride.

"I'm sorry, I haven't ever seen him like that before," she slides down next to him.

"Why are you here?" He asks, back leaning against a little nook by the lockers he's silently claimed.

She doesn't answer right away, so Sasuke takes the time to look her over as she picks at her jade green nail polish. They match her eyes. She's grown quite a bit. Gone is her obsessive attitude (or at least it's not as bad as it used to be), long hair, and girly dresses. Now, her pink hair stops at her shoulders. She looks older, more mature. Her chest has filled out to a nice gropeable size, too.

Sasuke internally shakes his head and examines her clothes. They fit in with the standard uniform with a few alterations: ankle boots, long socks, and a skirt length (which barely pass the dress code) flaunting her creamy, white thighs. It's getting a little too cold for bare legs, but Sakura has always liked to show off.

Not that Sasuke is complaining. Her calves and arms have become quite toned. She's probably picked up volleyball in the time he hasn't seen her. She always did like to watch the games.

"...Naruto and I are dating now. I don't want anyone to think badly of him, not even you."

Sasuke's heart skips a beat and he tries to cover the surprise that washes over his face.

 _Dating_?

"I know, it's strange. But after you left..."

"You wanted nothing to do with him when we were young," Sasuke bites out, a bit more harshly than he intended.

"He pestered me all the time, went out of his way to embarrass me in front of the class by asking me on dates!"

She didn't need to remind him. Naruto tried everything he could to get the girl's attention. None of his plans ever worked and Sasuke always had to clean up the aftermath. Then, the girl would go out of her way to flirt with _him,_ undoing his hard work of cheering up his best friend.

"Just like you went out of your way to embarrass me?"

She finally looks him in the eye. "I was a foolish child. I had the biggest crush on you and was determined to make you notice me. I was envious with your friendship with Naruto; I think everyone was. You always took such good care of him and asked for nothing in return."

Is that how it looked? While Sasuke did help the boy tie his shoes on occasion or help fight off the bullies who'd tease him over not having a mom, he'd received much in return. In fact, he only did those things in the first place to return the kindness. Sure, his father had always encouraged him to keep a close eye on the boy, but that wasn't the reason Sasuke invested his time in his friend.

Naruto was a ray of sunshine. Bright smiles, going out of his way to help everyone around him. He was always there when Sasuke's family was too busy for him. He was someone who'd given him a pencil when Sasuke's last one broke in class. Despite the fact it was the only one Naruto had that day. Sasuke was told it was because Naruto didn't want to do any more classwork. Even at a young age, he saw the excuse for what is was.

"Sasuke?" Ah, right. Sakura.

"Why are you here?"

"I told you, I didn't want you thinking badly of Naruto," she says nervously under one of his glares.

"You are not here for him. You hesitated before telling me you two were dating. You came here for me."

"So what?" she admits in a loud voice, cheeks flushed.

"So, if I find you have hurt Naruto in any way, I will make you regret it," and with that, he picks up his backpack and makes his way to his next class.

The bells rings then and he keeps going, ignoring the baffled looking girl sitting on the floor.

* * *

Unfortunately, his next class is biology, which he apparently shares with both Naruto and Sakura. At least Sai isn't in the class.

He pretends to listen to the teacher while he watches their close whispering at a lab table from the corner of his eye.

The teacher, an older man on the verge of retirement, doesn't appear to hear them. Or anyone else whispering for that matter. Maybe the elder has given up trying to stop the chatter.

Towards the end of the period, Naruto makes a face and stubbornly refuses to respond to his _girlfriend_ any longer. Sakura just clutches onto his arm.

Disgusted, Sasuke is relieved as the bell rings for them to go to their next course.

He finds his way over to the gymnasium, already irritated, feeling even more so at the fact he had to take this class because Naruto was enrolled in it.

Why couldn't it have been a cooking course or some other nonsense for their last class of the day?

He pulls open one of the doors, careful not to put so much strength in it. Looking around the room, it looks just as he expects it to, having been here before for many of Itachi's basketball games.

He goes over to the bleachers and takes a seat. Stubbornly ignoring looks from his fellow classmates as they make their way into the changing room.

One girl even takes the opportunity to approach and inform him that he is supposed to change. He shrugs her off, internally grumbling about the class being co-ed.

Disheartened, she rushes over to the girl's locker room.

Next, Choji, Sai, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Naruto all enter the room. They walk right past him, Naruto determined not spare him a look.

An unusual amount of the blond's friends share this course. Sasuke supposes it makes sense. This is a requirement for all freshmen to take, making the number of students in it, quite large.

That doesn't help him feel any better at all. Can it get any worse?

The teacher tries to ghost up on his left. Sasuke notices the man long before he comes near. Green Spandex and all.

 _Yes,_ Sasuke supposes. _It can_.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

Sorry, to cut this one a little short. I have to go to work. D: But! I will work more on this story when I come back. I am super excited for this next chapter. ;)

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto or BBQ sauce (although I'm not sure if that last one requires a disclaimer).

 **Next time** : I don't want to give too much away so… Sasuke + changing room = drama. Also, beware of the Green Beast. Yikes.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Locker Room Drama

**Chapter 12** : Locker Room Drama

* * *

(Monday)

Might Guy is an employee at USO. He's boisterous, overly enthusiastic, and extremely emotional-all things that grate on Sasuke's nerves.

And now, he must be one of the agents hired by someone's rich parent to watch their child at the school.

Fucking fantastic.

"Sasuke, my boy! Why are you not changing into your gym clothes?" His loud voice reverberates throughout the room, uncaring about covering up the fact that they know each other.

"It's my first day, I didn't bring any gym clothes." It's a lie, but he needs to stall for this period so he can go to Tsunade and get a doctor's note to excuse him from participating in this ridiculous class.

Sure, he can control his strength and blend in like a regular teenage boy, but he'd rather not strain himself if he doesn't have to. Also, and more importantly, there's that other reason...

"Nonsense! I always carry a spare track suit for those in need. Why, we can match today. This is a joyous occasion, indeed!" He smiles, and Sasuke swears his teeth shine.

Shit.

He ignores the snickers from a few boys emerging from the locker room who've caught the last of the conversation.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll just go see if anyone has an extra uniform for me to borrow."

"If you insist. Just know that I have a spare suit just begging for someone to wear it!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

He ignores the strange looks Naruto's troupe gives him as he walks past and into the locker rooms. Not many students are left as he glances around the room. The teen goes through the rows of lockers and examines them for one that's unused. Finally finding one near the back, he clicks up and pulls it open.

Sasuke makes quick work of storing his backpack and taking out his rolled up clothes and shoes at the bottom. They are a slight bit wrinkled, but that doesn't bother him as he puts the garments on. He's just thankful the room is now empty.

Confident that no would get into his compartment even though he doesn't have a lock (yet), he drops his shoes on the ground and takes a seat on the bench behind him.

After tying the shoelaces up on his tennis shoes, he stands up, leaves, and joins the rest of the class on the bleachers.

The Green Beast is standing in front of the rows, calling his way loudly through the attendance list.

He finishes, and the class seems to get up and automatically gather in the corner. Sasuke follows suit. They start off with a jog, ignoring the leader at the front who's determined to shout out his brand of encouragement to anyone who'll listen. Embarrassingly, Naruto is right behind the man responding. His friends have a little more sense and keep and few steps behind. After them, Sasuke keeps his pace. He doesn't want to be too close to the front, but his pride won't allow him to be any further than his current location.

The class finishes up with running and moves into rows to mimic the instructor's stretches. Many of them seem to be at their limit after a single mile despite having been in the class for nearly two months. Sasuke has to scoff. They call this exercise?

Guy completes his last jumping jack and literally sprints off to the storage closet to retrieve some equipment. Apparently, they are playing some indoor kickball today.

They get divided into two teams, and when Sasuke's turn comes around, he makes sure to kick the ball as lightly as possible. Unfortunately, it still flys up and slams into the ceiling pretty hard, causing a lot of dust to drift down.

Wincing, he runs through all four bases and is back on the bleachers before the opposite team can hit him with the ball. The girls squeal, and the guys seem to take upon themselves the challenge of hitting the ceiling harder than he did.

The next time he's up, he kicks it even lighter and into a corner. He only makes it to third base, but the ball doesn't slam into anything but the wall, so it's an improvement.

Gym ends all too soon, and the class floods back into the locker rooms to shower off or change into their regular clothes. Sasuke feels a stone drop into his stomach as he follows behind.

Making it to his locker, he slowly pulls the door open, dreading what needs to be done next. As soon as he takes off his shirt, someone's bound to notice his scars. Then, the rumors and the pitiful looks will worsen, and even more attention (if that is possible) will be drawn to him.

Sasuke could turn around and face his back toward the compartments…

He grabs his uniform and turns to do just that, setting down his clothes on the bench in front of him. Hopefully, the other's won't see it as an excuse to initiate meaningless chatter.

Sasuke makes quick work of his sweats first, exchanging them for his school pants, mindful of getting caught in the zipper. Then, taking a breath, he crosses his hands to grab the bottom of his gym shirt. Fortunately, most of the other boys are too involved in boasting over recent conquests or muscles. So, while they are distracted, he yanks the blue cloth over his head.

A " _Holy fuck_!" reverberates through the changing room causing Sasuke to flinch.

It was loud enough to surprise the rest boys in the room into silence. And, yes, now they have everyone's attention. Good going Kiba, way to announce the exact thing he wants to keep hidden. If he had known this empty locker was right next to Dog Breath, he wouldn't have picked it. And, naturally, Naruto is just a few doors away.

Sasuke attempts to ignore everyone as he shakes out his white dress shirt and swishes it over his arms.

"What the hell is that, Uchiha?"

"What is what?" He plays dumb, concentrating on fastening his buttons as the room eavesdrops, curiosity getting the better of them.

"Those-those-those huge ass scars down your back!"

"It's a Sound thing." He shrugs on the jacket and sits to put on his converses, trying to avoid making eye-contact with anyone.

The teen's mouth falls open "I'm serious, it looks like, like… Fuck, I don't know. It looks like someone ripped two chunks out of your back and then lit that shit on fire."

"Hn." Kiba wasn't too far off from the truth. The scars were from his first experiment he underwent in the lab. After he got out of the 6x6 room, Orochimaru had an interest in him, but not one large enough to make him valuable. So, he used Sasuke's body in a trail run.

At the time, the man had been experimenting with human flight, as ridiculous as it sounds. He was insane enough to implant a set of large, mechanical wings into Sasuke's back, who had to learn to sleep on his stomach because the pain was... _abysmal_. Especially, as he trained to use the machinery (there was a device to activate to make the wings move—like a controller). It helped that he was just skin and bones at that point, but the human body is just too heavy to sustain itself in the air for long amounts of time. After some modifications, the scientist settled for some glorified gliding.

Disappointed with his failed subject, he sent Sasuke on a suicide mission with a few other disposable members. They were supposed to be the decoys while the real team went in to steal a national treasure from a well-known politician in Hidden Stone.

They didn't exactly follow instructions. Yes, they decoy team came in and distracted but then they held back as the main team rushed in and got terminated. Injured, and under the direction of Sasuke, the decoy team managed to complete the mission in their stead and started to make their way back.

Unfortunately, the extra limbs on his back were cumbersome, and one of the implants nearly got sliced off. Bleeding, Sasuke dropped at the halfway point, unsure if he'd survive. His teammates also had their doubts, he was losing too much blood. One of the members, Suigetsu, seemed to take pity on him and quickly sliced the gross deformities off his body, saying that it was going to die, he could at least do it looking like a "fucking human being." The other one, outraged, took a stick, lit it on fire, and carefully cauterized the wounds. Distantly, Sasuke thought the disposing of the wings, as painful as it was, still didn't feel as awful as the time he spent practicing to make them functional.

Sasuke passed out to the smell of burning flesh.

When he woke up, he was back in the lab. Karin told him Juugo had carried him all the way back after he stopped the bleeding. He was lucky to survive. She told him that the machines would be not put back, and although Orochimaru was displeased with the loss of his project and main team, he was _temporarily_ overlooking it because they brought back the jade statues with them.

Once more, Sasuke had proved himself to be an asset. After healing and enduring his punishment, the Uchiha flawlessly accomplished his assigned missions, went through the training courses without complaint, and thrived in his other upgrades, doing all he could not to be disposable again.

"Sasuke?" It came from Naruto.

Surprised the (thankfully clothed) blond decided to talk to him, he switches his vision from his tied shoelaces and meets blue. The eyes are tired, sad, angry, guilty and demanding more information.

He wets his lips, uncomfortable with the stare. Is it just him, or is the humid air getting hotter?

Shaking his head, he stands up and grabs his bag, making sure to stuff in the clothes before he zips it up and shuts the locker door.

"Naruto, I wasn't away on vacation. Did you think nothing happened?"

The rest of the teenagers are pretending they're not listening as they finish up. Despite this, it's easy to feel like he and Naruto are the only ones in the room.

"Not-I just… I didn't-I can't-I can't do this right now," and with a bag swing over his shoulder, the blond is the first to flee the room.

Swallowing, Sasuke exists behind him, trying his best to ignore the hushed whispers following his leave.

Naruto is still within sight, but the Uchiha doesn't even try to catch up as the teen leaves the gym. Sure, he could run up to him and force him to talk. But the two have never been good at talking. Forcing it would only do more harm than good. Naruto would come to him when he is ready.

* * *

Thankfully, school is done for the day. After making sure his client gets picked up by his regular driver (from a distance), Sasuke gets into his own ride home.

"So, how was it?" His mom greets.

"Just as I expected," he shuts the door behind him and sets his backpack on the floor.

"Was anyone mean to you?"

"No." He'll need to give up more information if he wants to stop her probing. "I sat with a few people I knew in elementary school. Everything was pretty normal."

"Well, that's good." It works, and she focuses more waiting for the road to clear so she can drive out of the lot.

Instead of going home, she drops him off at USO. Not that Sasuke was surprised, he agreed to stop back here after school for some training.

He goes up to his father's floor, and the secretary buzzes him in. Fugaku hardly looks up from his paperwork as he asks, not about his day, but about potential threats.

Sasuke reviews his impressions of the school and the few weak areas where it could use improvement.

Seemingly satisfied, Fugaku calls up a familiar face, who surprisingly, is only five minutes late.

"Yo," the white-haired man greets.

"Sasuke, you remember Kakashi. He's going to oversee your training."

Of course, he remembers the eccentric man. Like anyone could ever forget the powerful dog-lover with strange reading habits.

"Hello," _again_ , he mentally adds.

"It's good to see you back," the man's smile under his mask actually reaches his eyes.

"Thank you."

There's a small silence after Sasuke's curt reply before his father steps in. "If you want to get started in the conference room down the hall, I have some paperwork to finish up."

Knowing a dismissal when he hears one, Sasuke walks past Kakashi and makes his way to the room a few doors down. Taking a seat at the table where he talked with the Fire Lord a few days ago, he waits for the other to join him.

It doesn't take long for the taller man to step in.

"So, have you been to the park lately?"

His mind goes back to Wednesday morning and plays the fool. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, you know," Kakashi waves him off. "I crossed paths with a pretty talented runner the other day."

"Or maybe you've just gotten old."

Surprisingly, his old teacher lets out a small noise of amusement. "I see your mouth hasn't changed much, if anything, it's become bolder."

"Hn."

"You've also been keeping up your fighting skills, I take it?"

"Yes."

"Good, that makes my job a little easier. I'd like to see your improvements myself after we review a few things." He opens a file he's set down on the table.

"Let's get started then."

Kakashi covers the Fire Lord's and USO's main expectations. Sasuke is to keep an eye on Naruto from the moment the teen arrives at the school until the Fire Lord's son meets up with his driver. Also, while they share some classes, it wasn't possible for the Uchiha to be in all of them as it would make his guarding a little too obvious. Same thing with Sai, he and the blond didn't share every class. Another reason why a second pair of eyes is needed.

Kakashi also advised him to join Naruto and his friends at any after of their school hangouts. Easier said than done. Especially judging from the reaction in the cafeteria.

After the blond is home, he'll be protected by the house's security team, so Sasuke isn't required to work if he comes over. He wants to interrupt Kakashi to tell him he didn't plan on going over outside of work but wisely keeps his mouth shut.

The man sitting across from him then goes over a bunch of security protocols which lasts nearly an hour. Next, they go through his pay and Sasuke has to fill out some paperwork.

"You're going to report to me directly after each week," Kakashi wraps up, placing the newly signed papers in a second folder.

"Through the phone?"

"Preferably in person, if there's an emergency we could do it through phone, or you could send me an email. There are more details in this file," he gestures.

"I understand."

"Great," the man claps. "We've already received your physical from Tsunade, so all that's left to do is see how skilled you are."

Sasuke smirks. He's sure he'll pass with flying colors.

* * *

 **A/N** :

* * *

Okay, so maybe we didn't get all the answers about Naruto that you all wanted, but you got to see a little more of Sasuke's past?

Right? Right?... I'm sorry! Naruto gets over himself soon.

Also Kiba, shame on you! Why you gotta be all embarrassing like that?

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto

 **Next time** : I had a summary but it was too long. To shorten it:

*Fugaku is nice and then ruins it.

*Something interesting happens on the news

*Sasuke has a positive interaction with one of his peers


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Ups and Downs

**Chapter 13** : Ups and Downs

* * *

(Monday/Tuesday)

Sasuke runs through the physical tests as a healthy soldier from Sound, carefully ensuring he doesn't go all out as the leader of Taka.

Easily, he passes the obstacles in front of him, and more of a crowd develops after he finishes with each task. Kakashi clears him after Sasuke finishes climbing over a high wall and lands gracefully on his feet.

"Three minutes and twelve seconds. Congratulations, you've successfully set a new record in each course. Your father would be proud," the white-haired man calls out.

"I am." the firm voice comes from the front of the group which immediately quiets.

Sasuke fails to suppress a smile. It's a microscopic one, not caused by his father's recognition (or so he tells himself), but from the fact that he's beat his brother's old records. Winning feels good. More than good.

"Let's break it up and get back to work." Naturally, this comes from the boss.

The crew dissipates, chatting about his performance as they go. Sasuke, Kakashi, and Fugaku are finally left alone in the training room.

"You did good in there, Kid," the rare praise comes from his old teacher.

"Thanks," he wipes a drop of sweat climbing its way around his eyebrow with the back of his pointer finger.

"We should spar sometime."

Sasuke's hand slows for a moment at the man's serious expression.

"Definitely." He is looking forward to seeing Kakashi's expression when he's taken down a notch. It would be a good challenge. One he wasn't sure he'd win even if he gave it everything he had. His old teacher has always been a genius fighter and strategist. He didn't earn his position at USO through blood or connections, but skill. He's curious to see who would win.

He wipes his palm on is sweatpants in anticipation.

"It's going to have to be another time. Mikoto is expecting us for dinner soon. Go get cleaned up, Son."

Feeling an odd sensation in his chest at the title, he quickly goes to the shower rooms to wash off.

"What do you think?"

Sasuke ignores the rest of the conversation as he opens the door, in a rush to get home to the food.

Using an access pass to a private stall, he yanks off his gym clothes and turns the water to cold. After washing up, he towels himself off and walks back into the large room.

The two are still talking but clearly have moved onto a different subject.

"I'll have my secretary put in a work order for one of the elevators, then."

"I'm ready to go," he butts in, deciding that the conversation is mostly over.

They say their goodbyes to Kakashi and make their way to the house.

His mom welcomes him with a tight squeeze and asks him how his tests went. Itachi waits his turn and inquires about his day at school.

Sasuke answers their questions and manages to squeeze one in return as they settle around the dinner table.

"Do you think Tsunade could write me up an excuse so I can sit out of gym class?" He's determined to get this over as soon as possible before the embarrassment of asking such a question gets to him.

The occupants around the dinner table pause.

"Eh? Why can't you participate?" His mother blinks, setting down her fork.

Sasuke makes sure to finish chewing his lasagna before he answers. "I just don't think it's fair to the other students for me to participate."

He doesn't look at his brother but can feel the curiosity radiating off him.

"Since when has that mattered? I don't see why you would want to sit out of a class simply because you are more skilled. You're an Uchiha. You're always going to be more skilled." unsurprisingly, this comes from his father.

"Yes, but we played kickball today. I could have killed someone if I had kicked the ball into their face hard enough. What if I kick someone's knee out in a soccer match or break an arm during basketball? If we play baseball and there's an accident?"

"You have trouble… controlling your strength?" Itachi speaks up.

"Not exactly. I just haven't had a chance to play any sports since I've gotten stronger. It's mostly been combat and stealth exercises," he grumbles after a bite.

"Hn. Ordinarily, I'd say you should tough it out and learn to control yourself, but the academy is a dangerous place to do so. If you injured an important CEO's child, it would be bad for our business."

Ah, but of course. If a student who didn't have any money got hurt, the man would be okay with it. What a fucking hypocrite. He can see his brother agrees when the corner of his mouth twitches before Itachi goes for a glass of water.

"Should I call Tsunade to get a pass?" Mikoto bites her lip.

"It's not important enough that we need to get it right away, I just think it would be safer in the long run." Besides, most the of boys had already seen the scars on his back, so there wasn't a point to hiding it anymore. He could participate for a little longer, he'd just have to be careful.

"That's true but isn't it also your duty to watch Naruto? What if one of the other students takes the opportunity to injure the boy with sports equipment? P.E. can be dangerous. As you said, it wouldn't be difficult to cause an 'accident.' In fact, it would probably be the best time to go after him."

Of course, the Genius had to add his two cents. Not that Itachi is wrong, exactly. Gym would be a good time for someone to target Naruto.

Honestly though, if he sat close enough, Sasuke was confident he'd still be faster. He'd notice a difference in attitude, an expression change or even a muscle tense before anyone could attack the blond. He'd been trained in Sound to look for those things until it became second nature. It would be difficult to get a surprise attack past him.

He tells them so. "With my training and by staying close, I could be there faster than they could get to him. Besides, what if I injure the very target I'm supposed to be protecting?"

"Then you'd be a poor bodyguard, and I'd take you off the job so quick, your head would spin," is his father's frank reply.

Sasuke tries with all his might not to flinch.

"Dear, Sasuke's been through a lot. If he says he can do his job and keep the other student's safe at the same time, then I say we let him."

With that, Sasuke knows he's won. Except, having to admit a weakness to win, still feels like a loss. He shouldn't have said anything but...

 _It's better this way,_ he looks down at his empty plate.

Sasuke knows that not only what he said was true but eventually, his pride will get the better of him and he will blow his cover. The success of the mission is more important than how people look at him.

A hand drops on his shoulder and mildly starts him. Looking at his brother, it's like Itachi can practically read his thoughts. It's creepy.

"I suppose it's settled then," his father brushes the crumbs off his lap as he stands. "We'll get the pass for you so you won't hurt anyone in your class."

It sounds like an insult.

Itachi squeezes the hand, silently urging Sasuke not to say anything as the man leaves the room.

Mikoto gives him a knowing smile before standing. "We can pretend all we want but we Uchihas' aren't perfect, and you know what? That's okay. As my Grandmother always said, 'to do better is better than to be perfect.'"

"She's right. Erring on the side of caution is smart. You've promised to protect Naruto, and you've never failed before. I don't see you doing it now. Don't let Father make you feel ashamed for taking this route." With that, the man stands and leaves to clear his plate as well.

Sasuke is left alone with his thoughts and churning stomach.

* * *

The next day is what they call a 'B' day. He has the same classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (A days) and a different set on Tuesday, Thursday (B days). So, he pretty much has to go through his first day all over again.

It starts off with homeroom, the announcements, and the avoidance which Sasuke knows won't last much longer as several girls are staring at him in curiosity. Naruto, however, seems content to ignore his presence for as long as he deems necessary. A twitch in his cheek indicates that as he lets out a fake laugh over something Sai says.

Scowling, Sasuke rests a chin on his hand as he turns to face the front of the class.

A whispered conversation to his left changes his thoughts completely.

"I heard Taka was cited again last night."

"Me too. I saw the news clip on my Facebook feed this morning."

Ah. It's about time. Sasuke was wondering when they were going to act. Before he left, his team promised to carry on their work in his absence. Suigetsu agreed to wear the Taka disguise as they did a few small missions trying keeping the peace and all that.

Not only did it scare the Sound rebels, but the sightings would also throw suspicion off Sasuke's identity. Anyone with half a brain would notice that once Sasuke showed up, Taka disappeared. It wouldn't be hard to put two and two together.

So, the team had planned to dress up and appear in public after his absence. Besides, it wasn't the first time one of the others had to put on the outfit and act as Taka.

"It was awesome! Did you see how he jumped off that building and took out those thugs?"

"Yeah, it was like, in two seconds or something wild like that!"

Apparently, the team was going overboard.

"They were lucky the witness already had the camera out. Otherwise, they would have missed the whole thing."

No, not luck. Sasuke is willing to bet Karin anonymously submitted the video. If they didn't want to be seen, they wouldn't be.

"I don't know why everybody likes that guy," a third student buts in.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, why does he always see the need to fight crime on his own? Don't they have police for that? I think he should mind his own business and let the police do their job."

Pfft, Sound's police force didn't do jack shit for their job. They were all in Orochimaru's pocket before the scientist went down. They patrolled more for him than they did for any crime.

"I don't know. I just think it's cool to see a real-life superhero."

His index finger twitches. He wasn't a goddamn superhero. If anything, he was the villain.

"He's doing more harm than good!"

Exactly. He had changed the country and stirred it up to the point of a civil war. In Sound, some do call him a criminal. His teammates tried to label him as a revolutionist. A few lives lost for the sake of bettering the country as a whole. The media speaks favorably of his actions which helped him sneak around, but at the end of the day, Sasuke unintentionally caused a war. People suffered and died. Now, he just has to do all he can to make up for it.

The bell for first-period sounds, cutting off any more conversation. Not that Sasuke wanted to listen to any more of their gossip anyway.

The students stand, gather their bags and depart for their next class.

Sasuke makes his way to Literature, which is just down the hall. Picking an empty seat, he settles down and gets ready for another lesson.

By now, he's getting lots of stares. And he doesn't think it has anything to do with his recent return this time, judging by the whispers.

"I heard he has a big gang tattoo on his back."

Oh. It's about his scars this time. Sasuke's a little surprised they weren't gossiping more about it in homeroom. The gossip mill can't be that slow, can it? Or, maybe, Taka was more interesting?

"Someone in the locker room said he got trapped in a burning building and barely made it out."

"No, Tatami(1) said he got ran over by a whole motorcycle gang."

He almost wants to roll his eyes at that last one. Like he'd still be alive if that happened.

The rumors thankfully quiet down as the teacher starts class.

* * *

After Literature, his next course is one for a foreign language. Naruto is there already and is sitting to the left side of the room with a few students Sasuke has never seen before. Makes sense that learning other languages would be one of the classes on the blond's schedule.

He sits on the opposite side and tries to catch up with the rest of the students.

The next time the bell rings, he stops at his locker before going to the cafeteria. It doesn't take long to put a tray together, and he spends a few minutes looking around the room. Different groups sit at the tables than the ones yesterday. Guess the lunch periods are different, too.

Sasuke finds an empty place by a window where he can keep an eye on Naruto (who sits outside). He powers through his lunch. Unfortunately, a large number of girls have joined him before he's finished. Honestly, he should be a little surprised at how fast they've gathered, but at this point, he's not. Ignoring their chatter and questions, he stands up and disposes of his tray.

Attempting to stay a little closer to the blond without disturbing his lunch this time, he steps outside, hands in his pocket. Many students are lingering out, taking advantage of the warm weather while it lasts.

He finds a quiet spot near a tree close to the group and gets out some homework.

Sasuke hears the approaching steps long before they reach him. What surprises him, is whose feet they belong to.

Looking up, it's strange to see that Shikamaru, of all people, approached him.

"Can I help you?" he speaks for the first time in hours.

"Not really. You're kind of in my spot."

"Your spot?" He raises an eyebrow. Before, the lazy teen looked quite cozy laying down on a bench with the group down the yard.

"Yeah," Shikamaru grunts as he sits down on the other side of the tree. "This is the perfect place to smoke. If I sit on this side facing the road, I can't be seen from any of the windows, and the lunch monitors don't bother to venture out this far."

Sasuke looks behind, and sure enough, several cigarette butts hide in the bushes that line the fence blocking off the road.

"None of those are mine. I'm not stupid enough to throw the butt in the bushes. Do you mind?" The brunette pulls out a Marlboro stick and a lighter from his pocket.

Sasuke closes the book and turns to look at Shikamaru before he replies. "Not if you let me have a puff."

"What? Can't get your own supply?" is the muffled response as he lights up.

"I can. I'm just not usually in the habit of smoking." It was somewhat true. Sasuke smoked a bit in Sound to blend in with the others. He'd taken advantage of using the smoke breaks to listen to gossip or to glean information. He'd say he's more of a social smoker than an addict. He had told himself that after he got back, the habit wasn't necessary anymore.

But seeing Shikamaru inhale is making his throat dry.

"Alright, just don't let anyone see you."

Scooting around the tree a little, he takes the Marlboro and notes that while it's not his favorite brand, it'll do. Bringing into his mouth, he takes in a deep breath, relishing in the familiar, yet foreign smoke filling his mouth and seeping into his lungs before he lets it all out.

Closing his eyes, he takes one more drag before passing the cigarette back over. Glancing back over to the yard, he lets the smoke out. His eyes catch Naruto's.

He looks aghast.

Sasuke almost chokes in amusement. Shikamaru apparently smokes all the time. Surely, it can't be too shocking to see someone else do it. What is he, still in elementary school?

"So, some people say you got your scars from a chainsaw fight, any truth in that?

He shoots a fierce look to the boy next to him. "What do you think?"

"That some people are terrible at picking up on social cues. Not me."

Sasuke's phone goes off in his pocket before he can respond.

Peering down, he fishes out the buzzing device. It's not a number he has seen before, but he recognizes Sound's area code. Why would they be calling him on this phone?

"I'm going to take this," he says for the sake of being polite.

"Troublesome."

His eyebrows furrow as he hits the 'accept call' and brings it up to his ear. "Who's this?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

(1)-Tatami is from episode thirty-four. He is a Konoha ninja who helped preside over the Chunin exams.

Who saw that first part coming? Not something I wanted to do but it was necessary-you'll see.

And, can you believe it's a little after this story's one-year anniversary? I can't. Technically, it's almost two years but we'll only count since the time it's been posted. Thank you everyone for your support! It's what keep fueling the flames to write down the ideas that circle around in my head.

As usual, beta'd by me. Please don't judge too harshly.

Also, I have midterms next week (already). I should be studying. Or working. I have my own apartment that I have to pay for. *Runs off to grab a textbook and cry*

 **Disclaimer** : Still don't own Facebook, or Naruto or Marlboros.

 **Next time** : An interesting phone call with an old contact and Rock Lee makes his first appearance! ( I felt like I need an exclamation point to end a sentence that has anything to do with Rock Lee XD)


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Dialogue

**Chapter 14: Dialogue**

* * *

(Tuesday)

"Who's this?"

"What? Aren't you happy to hear from me?"

Sasuke infers from the voice. "Suigetsu, then."

"The one and only."

"How'd you get this number?" The Uchiha glances over at the brunette sharing the tree's shade with him. He doesn't seem bothered by the conversation.

"Oh, you know, our team has it's ways." At least he has enough brain cells to be discrete.

"I take it you also _acquired_ my school schedule?"

"Naturally. You can blame Karin for that. She looked up your school records this morning."

Sasuke uses the other hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, closing his eyelids.

"We hadn't heard from you in a few days. She was worried," Suigetsu adds in, as if sensing Sasuke's action.

"Everything's fine. Don't call me on this number again."

"Whoa! Hold up!"

"What?" He hisses, aware of, not only the eyes of Shikamaru and Naruto's friends but most of the students outside.

"No need to be so cold. We're friends, remember?"

"We're not friends," he roughly brings his hand back down.

"Since when?"

"Since the time you tried to kill me," Sasuke reminds his subordinate.

That catches Shikamaru's attention. Shit. Why did he pick up the phone? If they were going to call him for anything important, they would have used the burner.

Sasuke refuses to believe that he answered because maybe, just maybe, he's missed them a little, too.

"Excuse me, I was trying to preserve your dignity."

"You were trying to kill me."

"Whatever, Fuckface. You already had one foot in the grave anyway. I was just trying to help out. With your blood gushing out everywhere, you were leaving a trail. You could have got us caught," Suigetsu refers to their first mission together.

"I'm hanging up now."

"Wait! Hold up!"

"What?!" He cringes as his voice raises a little in his impatience.

"We followed our end of the bargain and just wanted to check on you. See how you've settled in and that sort of stuff. Having you been watching the news? We have, the whole world knows 'the youngest Uchiha' is back now. Also, why the fuck are you going back to school? It's lunchtime for you, isn't it?"

Sasuke doesn't bother to glance at the teen next to him. This is getting dangerous.

"Your concern is unnecessary. I'm fine." He intentionally leaves out any information as to what has been on T.V. and the reason as to why he is in school.

Thankfully, Suigetsu catches on and switches topics. "Do you realize how difficult it is to get along with you?"

This earns a snort from Shikamaru. It's not surprising he can hear both parts of the conversation, considering their proximity. Sasuke needs to wrap this up without appearing too suspicious.

The silver-haired man continues his rant on the other line of the phone in his silence. "I'm not your friend because I want to be, Dickhead. However, after going through all that messed up shit, and spending all that time together, it's hard not to rely on each other. Whether you like it or not, you're one of us and can't go cutting us off so easily. Even if you move to a different country."

"I'll keep that in mind, you Infected Guzzler."

"You'd better, Captain Fuck Stick."

Finally, he hangs up.

"Your friend sounds… interesting."

"Hn, that's just the way they talk in Sound."

"I gathered. Do you want the rest of this?"

Sasuke grunts in agreement as he takes what's left of the cigarette. "Why is Naruto gaping at us like that? The rest aren't bothered."

"He disapproves."

"Of the smoking or of you being here with me?"

"I'm sure you know it's the former. I'm heading back," the other teen stands and brushes off the grass clinging to his fine ass.

Sasuke mentally shakes his head. It's been over a week now since the last time he's had sex. He focuses back to the teen's face.

"A word of advice: don't push Naruto, let him come to you. In the meantime, stay close by. You have more friends than you think."

A little surprised at the words, Sasuke can only watch as Shikamaru leaves.

"What were you guys talking about?" Sasuke hears Choji ask from six trees over.

"Nothing important."

"Who was that on the phone?" Ino tucks a blonde hair behind her ear.

"An acquaintance of his in Sound. If you have more questions, why don't you go ask him yourself?" With that, the lazy boy settles back down for a nap.

Fortunately, they don't come over and pester him with questions. For the rest of the period, anyway.

After lunch, Sasuke has study hall, which gives him time to catch up on homework.

Regrettably, he has it with Sakura, Hinata, and Ino who decide to whisper to him as he takes out his math book.

"What are your friends like in Sound?"

Sasuke ignores Sakura in favor of writing out his name on the math assignment due tomorrow. They don't catch his hint, and Ino asks him a different question.

"Now that you're back, have you thought about dating?"

"He's only been back for a little bit. I'm-I'm sure he hasn't been thinking of-of his love life."

At least Hinata has a little sense. Even if she's only partially correct. More like he's been thinking about his sex life. He misses the freedom of taking a partner whenever he felt the urge. And that was quite often. But now, unless he has some sort of rendezvous in the storage closet, anything else isn't really an option. Sasuke can't exactly take anyone home without notice, now can he?

"Shion* told me that you have some pretty wicked scars on your back because you got attacked by a bear," Sakura decides to change the topic. Honestly, it's not much better than the previous.

"Ro-Rock climbing is what I heard."

"Motorcycle accident."

He stalls on his response for a minute until he finishes up the third question. "If I wanted to talk about them, I would. I'd appreciate it if you and your friends would stop asking questions I don't want to answer."

Besides, the real story of his scars is much more unbelievable than the rumors floating around. If he told them the truth? 'Oh, about those, a crazy man wanted to see human flight. So, he attached these wings in my back, but they didn't exactly work. Then, he sent me away to be killed, only I didn't die, and the deformities got cut off because of their burden. After which, a teammate cauterized the area to try to preserve my life. Did I mention, it hurt like hell?'

Yes, that would not go over well.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset," he moves on to the next question on his paper.

Sasuke is grateful when they focus the rest of their conversation about a new store that's opening in the mall.

This is why he hates high school so much. The drama, rumors, gossip, curiosity, fake friends and everything else in between.

Sure, it is only his second day actually attending, but he learned what to expect from his brother, television, books, and stories he heard from a few new soldiers in Sound.

He felt a headache approaching, and the afternoon sun reflecting off the metal chair by the window into his eyes did not help. Not that his sensitive sight came as a surprise, anymore. After the abuse his retinas went through, it's a wonder he still could see.

Lightly, he rubs his fingers on his temple as he works through different assignments until the bell signals the end of the period.

He and the girls get up to go their different ways after he waves off an offer for them to show him to his next class. Sasuke doesn't need them transitioning the minor pain into a migraine. At least he only has to sit through art before he can go home.

The large classroom appears just as one would expect. Murals, paintings, and artwork decorate the walls. There is a sink and an art supply station to the left, serval pottery wheels and stools towards the back and even a black room off to the right side if the door is labeled correctly.

In the middle, three long tables with seating for at least eight students take up space. Surprisingly, Sai waves him down. "There's room for one more here."

He thinks about it. Eventually, they should talk. Just not in such an open space. And then there are the others sitting at the table. Does he really want to subject himself to more questions?

"C'mon. We need someone to distract us. I'm tired of having to listen to Naruto and Sakura flirt all the time," Choji adds in.

That means he definitely doesn't want to join the group.

"Well, I think Sakura deserves to be happy," Lee chimes in. Isn't he in a grade above? Why is he even in this class? Didn't he have a free slot to take it his freshman year?

"Naruto, your golden eyelashes are soooo long," Kiba mocks from the seat near the end.

"Why, thank you. It's natural," Naruto grins, but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, seemingly still unsure of Sasuke's presence.

A part of him is finding this whole thing strange. For a few reasons. First, it's odd to see Naruto as one of the school's heartthrobs now. While Sasuke can see Naruto is still obnoxious as he's ever been, the blond has more people than ever flocking around him. Mainly females. Not that Sasuke can blame them, but it still doesn't make it any less irritating.

Secondly, why are they welcoming him today, when yesterday at lunch, they all but rejected him? What's changed? The rumors going around? If this is about them feeling sorry for him, then they can just forget it.

He starts to turn, but Shikamaru stops him in his tracks with an apology. "We decided yesterday that we were a bunch of assholes. It's not your fault you've been gone, and it didn't help that we didn't exactly know how to react. We'd like the chance to get to know you again. If you'll let us."

"Yes! Welcome back!" Lee adds in with his usual exuberance.

He stills feel the sting of humiliation. Would they be acting like this if they hadn't seen his back yesterday in Gym? He'd like to think so. However, Sound has taught him that people are not so simple. At the same time, they all seem so happy and genuinely pleased to see him. Time will tell of their intentions.

Regardless, he needs this. The whole reason he is even here is to get in Naruto's circle and act as a guard.

Eventually, he swallows his useless emotions and takes a seat.

"By the way, Naruto, pride comes before a downfall," Shikamaru continues the previous conversation. Still, sounds like his words had a double meaning.

Oblivious, or ignoring the hidden message, which more likely, Naruto waves him off. "Sure, I'm confident in my body, but I'm not perfect, I'm working on getting better."

"Are you talking about your penis? Because that is certainly lacking and I doubt you can do much to 'make it better,'" Sai shocks everyone into silence.

Sakura is the first to recover and punches his look-alike in the arm with a blush still on her face. "I've told you to stop talking about that. I don't want to hear anymore your penis talk!"

"Ah, sorry about him." Choji looks at Sasuke and rubs the back of his head. "He's socially stunted. Hey, at least Naruto can count on Sai to keep his ego in check?"

His attempt to make to make Sasuke lighten up with a joke does not work.

...This is the person Minato pays to watch his son? No wonder he was desperate for another option. Sasuke should not leave these two alone. Being 'socially stunted' is not a valid reason for the pale teen's behavior.

He almost says so, but the teacher chooses that moment to walk in and start class. Apparently, they have been working on an assignment since last week, and Sasuke does his best to catch up.

The teacher, an overweight man in his thirties, doesn't seem mind as the students chatter while they work on their projects.

The assignment is to draw a fantasy landscape. Most of his tablemates are about halfway through. Unsurprisingly, Choji has some sort of food-land, Kiba, a wolf den. Sakura is working on a large, flowery forest next to Naruto, who, surprise surprise, is planning on a ramen lake? Or at least he thinks. Either that, or it's just a bunch of squiggly lines.

Rock Lee furiously shades a workout bench. Sasuke doesn't even want to know. Shikamaru is napping, finished with his cloud landscape. Sai has, by far, the best picture, a sci-fi world. Art must be a hobby for the odd teen.

Staring at his own blank paper, Sasuke decides to go with something simple that he can finish in a good amount of time and starts on a castle, using a ruler to keep the lines straight.

Five minutes till, Sasuke has made some good progress when the teacher calls for them to clean other students put their supplies away until the bell rings and a few practically sprint for the door.

Catching a look Sai throws him, he slows down his pace until they are a few feet behind the others.

"You have something to say to me?"

"Yes, I think we should talk." Sai starts.

"About our situation?"

"Actually, something a little different."

"Oh?" Sasuke turns to look at the artist, raising a dark eyebrow.

"We are in the same gym class."

"I'm aware of all the classes we share."

"Yes, but I saw it."

Sasuke's heart skips a beat. Saw what? His back? The pale teen was across the room.

"Excuse me?"

"Your stomach."

Sasuke stops, causing the sea of students behind him to part around. Sai follows his lead as a larger gap is created from Naruto's circle of friends.

His eyebrows pull down. "What about my stomach?"

"Your abs. Such a work of art, I know I've seen them before. The problem is, I just can't remember when."

A knot starts to form in Sasuke's gut, and his palms start to sweat. True, the first time they met, he was in his Taka disguise, but his jacket was open, leaving his muscles for display.

There's no way Sai could have pinpointed his identity after a look, right? Right?

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

*Shion is from one of the Naruto movies. SPOILER ALERT: The one who wants to have his babies. :P

Let's see, so, about this chapter. Sadly, it didn't quite turn out how I wanted it. I wished I could have conveyed everyone's feelings a little more. It's difficult from a set POV.

Everyone in Sound has a "potty mouth". It's more apparent when they talk to each other.

Naruto is still acting funny but other people are coming around. A little progress there.

Maybe a few grammar errors here and there but I am lazy and just wanted to get the chapter up while I had the time.

Like the title said, lots of dialogue in this one. More action in the next chapter, though.

One more quick thing. I really appreciate all the support. I might not be the best at responding on this site, mostly because I find it awkward to have to create a PM to do so. But seriously if I don't say it on one of those, thanks guys!

And could Sai be any more creepy?

 **Next time** : Yes, Sai is not finished yet! Sasuke learns Itachi has a secret. And another dream/flashback shows itself.

 **Disclaimer** : Don't own Naruto.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Discoveries

**Warning:** Um…torture scene ahead. I wasn't planning on it, but it just sort of happened. Hope none of you are sympathetic pukers? Otherwise, consider this your warning. At least I got the chapter out early?

* * *

 **Chapter 15** : Discoveries

* * *

(Tuesday/Early Wednesday)

There's no way Sai could have pinpointed his identity after a look, right? Right?

At this point, he either needs to deny the accusation or throw off all suspicion. What's a normal response? "Fuck off."

"I mean it."

"You have a problem," Sasuke casually shrugs the teen off, ignoring his beating heart, and starts his way back to the lockers.

Fortunately, Sai doesn't try to follow him. Instead, he does something worse.

"I'm telling you, I have seen your chest somewhere before. Not everyone has as beautiful nipples as you!" Sai calls to him, causing a few students to stop and stare at the two.

The Uchiha ignores the creeper in favor of putting in his combination and swapping out his books.

Finishing up, he ignores the hushed whispers and exits the school. The front entrance is teeming with students, each as determined to leave as the next. He doubts anyone wants to leave more than he does.

He spots Naruto saying goodbye to his friends, entering his family's car and making his way off the school grounds.

Satisfied with the finished job for the day, Sasuke makes his own way to his mother's vehicle, more than ready to leave this place.

He sits down, and she naturally starts asking about his day. Sasuke indulges her for a bit and even asks a few questions about her own.

His mother is smiling as she drops him off at USO and reminds him to be careful and make it home in time for dinner. He waves her off and goes through the security check-point to enter the building.

Arriving at the top floor, he finds an oddly early Kakashi as soon as the elevator doors open. The man is reclining with an orange book to his left.

Sasuke can't help but raise an eyebrow. He has only seen the man arrive **on time** three times of his own existence. And today, Kakashi is early. Someone must have died.

The teacher shrugs at his expression. "I had a meeting with your father that ran a little late. Instead of going down to my office for two minutes, I thought I'd just wait up here and get an extra minute of reading in. I'm at the part where-"

"I don't want to hear about your awful romance book," Sasuke hastily interrupts. He doesn't know how the man can stand the literature, if it can be called that.

Some years back, he and Naruto took a peek into one of the books after a session where Kakashi taught them different fighting techniques. The man left it on the bench and curiosity got the better of them.

He still regrets it to this day. The plot was predictable, the characters were annoying, and don't get him started on the badly written sex. The whole thing was a disaster. A ten-year-old could have written a better book. He and Naruto started to chuck the thing out the window, but they were caught. Needless to say, their teacher kept them for an extra two hours and put them through hell.

"Fine, be that way." Sasuke swears the man is pouting behind the mask. "I hope you don't have much homework, we have another training session with a packet to go through today."

"I finished my homework during school."

"Excellent, playing the part is important. We'll proceed with session two then."

The duo spends another hour working through more protocols and security procedures. By the end of it, Sasuke wants to bash his still throbbing head against the table. All of this is common sense. Why do they have to go through these sessions?

Kakashi senses his mood as he wraps up. "I know this is boring but bear with me. All employees have to go through orientation. We still have two more days of this, and then we'll be done."

He merely grunts.

* * *

His old teacher ends up dropping him off because his father has to work late. Sadly, his mother, brother and a stranger are halfway through dinner.

Damn Kakashi and his terrible punctuality! The rolls are nearly all gone. His mother is a goddess in the kitchen, and they are some of her finest creations.

He greets everyone in the room and takes his spot at the table. The golden orbs are the first object he grabs. Politely, of course. Okay, maybe he gives a small snarl to the random woman who tries to take the second to last one. Hesitantly, she draws her hand back. He takes them both.

His brother quickly introduces him to Konan, his fiancé of one year. Sasuke hides his surprise, he thought she was just another one of his brother's many girlfriends. The guy used to bring a different one home every few months or so.

She is gorgeous, of course. Her mulberry colored hair is done up elegantly in a bun with an origami flower clip. Then, there's her unusually bright amber eyes and straight, pearly white teeth. A silver labret piercing on her dainty chin combined with her natural looking make-up all adds up to a delicious combination.

Sasuke manages to exchange a few pleasantries with her as he devours the bread. Finished, he swallows the last of his bite and turns Itachi. "I didn't know you were engaged."

"I wasn't trying to keep it a secret. It's just been a hectic week. There hasn't been a good time for introductions."

"I see."

"By the way, Dear, did you happen to hear when your father would be off?" His mother chimes in.

"I didn't exactly speak to him before we left."

Sasuke's mother gives him a sad smile.

"Probably not too much longer I would assume," he hastily adds to erase the expression off her face.

"So, Sasuke, how do you like your new school?" Konan inquires.

He indulges her and goes on to tell her about his odd gym instructor. Sasuke ignores the smirk that emerges on Itachi's face during his description.

Fucker knew the Green Beast was going to be his teacher and didn't warn him.

To get back at his sibling, Sasuke slides in some flirty looks towards his brother's fiancé as he moves on to explain the weirdos he gets to sit with in his art class.

On Sasuke's fourth attempt, Itachi sends a smack to the back of his head. Naturally, it's just as their mother turns to put the plates away.

To her credit, Konan doesn't even bat an eyelash and ignores the whole thing. Something his brother would do. Inwardly, Sasuke decides he approves of the match.

They all stand, help put a few items away and step into the next room. His mother turns a movie on, and the group settles down to watch. It's about halfway through when Fugaku arrives home. He offers a greeting but heads upstairs, not bothering to stick around to watch the end of it.

The credits roll and, after a few polite parting words, Itachi is off to take Konan back to her house. Mikoto also bids her youngest son goodnight as she heads up to the second floor.

Not quite early enough for sleeping, the teen spends about thirty minutes brushing up on some local news articles and moves on to the ones featuring Sound and Taka. He doesn't find any new information and gets ready for bed. So to speak.

He turns off the light and arranges his pillow on the ledge of the tub.

* * *

 _The sound of his footsteps echo through the long, empty hall. The candles don't do much of a job in keeping the tunnel lit. Sasuke's tall shadow stretches out slightly behind, the only thing to keep him company. That, and the warm snake that happens to be coiled around his wrist again. He shouldn't have fed it that damn mouse last week._

 _He stops as he ducks around the bend. Suigetsu is there and looking more pale than usual. And that's saying a lot._

" _Uh, you should not go in there," he gestures with his thumb over his shoulder to a door about ten feet away._

 _Sasuke knows this. He can smell the blood in the air, feel the sweat on his palms, and the clenching of his gut. His instincts are commanding him to flee._

 _Nevertheless, "Orochimaru summoned me."_

" _Mmm, the punishment for not showing up would be worse," his teammate looks down._

" _Exactly."_

" _Well…good luck," Suigetsu passes by with a pat on his shoulder._

" _Actually…" Sasuke is hesitant to state his request. They only have known each a few months and aren't exactly friends._

" _Don't ask me to go in there for you. No way. I wouldn't even do it if you offered an expensive collectible sword."_

 _Sasuke turns around. "I've made my bed. I have to lie in it. However, would you take the snake?"_

" _The…snake? Orochimaru?" Suigetsu cocks his head._

" _No," Sasuke refrains from rolling his eyes and holds up his wrist. "This snake."_

" _Oh, your pet."_

" _It's not my-"_

" _Sure, I'll take it. Don't want the little thing getting hurt."_

 _Sasuke ignores a hiss and pries the creature off his wrist._

" _Keep it. Seriously, I don't want it back. Maybe give it to Jugo."_

" _I don't think he's fond of snakes..."_

" _He likes all animals. In any case. I have to go."_

" _Got it." Suigetsu winks, bringing the reptile to his chest as it wraps around his hand._

 _Taking a deep breath, Sasuke pauses before the door. This is not going to be pleasant._

 _He knocks._

 _The wood before him swings open and gleeful looking Kabuto welcomes him inside._

 _The smell is even stronger in here._

 _As soon as he spots the scientist, he makes sure not to take his eyes off the man. He doesn't want to look at what's left of the bloody carcass on the floor. Nor does he want to see the identity of the small specimen huddled in the corner._

" _You're finally walking around, I see."_

 _The fresh scars on his back throb at the words._

" _Yes, Sir."_

" _Kabuto says you've recuperated enough for our next procedure."_

 _Sasuke wants more than anything to send the doctor a high-level glare. But he refrains. He does not want to give the older teen the satisfaction._

" _But first," Orochimaru trails off looking back to the shape in the corner. "Kin, come here!"_

 _To his horror, a badly beaten girl he knows slowly limps over. He came into contact with her his first week out the small jail cell. Right before the procedure on his back._

 _She let him fuck her. His first time was quick, as he didn't last long. No more than a few minutes did they spend in his room. She left. The second time, in the showers, Kin was reluctant to give him another chance. He won her over and, eventually, they started seeing each other several times a day until Kabuto performed his operation. He hadn't seen her since._

 _Her once long, and beautiful hair is now matted and dirty._

" _Hey, Stud," her cracked lips boldly croak, tears leaking out of bruised, swollen eyes. She knows she's done for._

 _She's putting on a brave front. This is his fault, and she knows it._

" _You know what happens next, I take it? Not only did you disobey my instructions, but you also lost the beautiful wings I worked so hard to gift you. Insubordination does not go unpunished around here."_

 _Sasuke tries to swallow down the large lump in his throat. It doesn't work. Instead, his stomach coils further._

" _When I heard those rumors about your little escapades, I just knew this would be the perfect way to get my revenge. Ah! How young you two are. How filthy." The man licks his lips. "What would your mother say?"_

 _The Uchiha has to fight off nausea. Yes, thirteen is probably too young to be having sex. What else was he supposed to do? She approached him, offered a way to get his mind off his situation. Sasuke felt he should be allowed to have at least a few normal teenage experiences._

" _Nothing to add in? Fine, we'll get started then. Kabuto."_

 _The silver-haired man pulls on her bound arms and shoves her down into a chair by a flaming barrel with a few black poles protruding out of the top._

" _I was the one who disobeyed. It's me you should be punishing, not her."_

" _Oh, but we are punishing you, my Sweets," the scientist practically coos._

" _We've found this to be more effective than a flogging. Now, anymore protests from you and I'll draw this out for another hour." Kabuto picks a pair of padded gloves off the table and slides them on._

 _Kin whimpers._

" _Leave her alone," the teen growls._

 _Orochimaru yanks Sasuke back by his shoulders and curls around him like a straightjacket as Kabuto slides out the fire poker._

" _You will watch."_

 _The girl throws her head to the left and howls through clenched teeth as Kabuto slowly drags a hot poker down her arm._

 _Sasuke furiously attempts to yank himself out of the man's grasp as he watches more tears streak down her face._

 _When the doctor reaches her hand, he pauses for a moment before inching the scorching metal up back to the elbow. Meanwhile, Kin is thrashing in her binding causing him to zigzag. Her teeth unclench, and she lets out an anguished scream that fills the entire stone room._

 _Sasuke knows their squirming is making the situation worse but can't get his body to stop. He has to do something! He's an Uchiha, it's not in his blood to be helpless. He should be able to get out of this hold, pull the girl away…And then what? Where would they go? They couldn't leave. So, where would they hide?_

" _Yes, yes! Struggle more," Orochimaru puffs into his ear. "I'm enjoying the feeling of your small body."_

 _It's enough to make him pause. He feels like he's going to puke. The hot smell of the older man's breath is nearly as bad as the smell of burning flesh._

 _Like a drowning victim, Kin continues to suck in big gulps of air only to screech it out. How does she have that much air in her lungs to produce a sound that loud?_

 _He hates feeling this powerless._

" _Stop." Sasuke weakly gives a last attempted plea, his pride preventing him from begging any more than that._

 _The man behind him simply laughs._

 _Fast forwarding to what felt like weeks later (in reality it was maybe twenty minutes), Kin passes out, and Kabuto sets the poker down and doesn't pick it back up this time. Instead, he wipes a bead of sweat off his forehead and throws Sasuke an evil look._

 _By this point, the teen is exhausted and has puked out his meager lunch rations on the floor in front of him. At least the last action has made Orochimaru back off him a little._

" _I don't think he's learned his lesson yet, Kabuto."_

 _Sasuke reigns in what little dignity he has and keeps quiet, silently closing his eyes shut. Why do they have to keep going?_

" _You're right."_

 _Orochimaru finally backs away. However, Sasuke is miserable and can't find the physical or mental strength to move. Instead, he sinks to the floor. Right next to the puddle of partially digested rice cover in bile._

 _Was he next?_

 _Good. Anything was better than feeling this helpless. He deserves to be the one in that chair._

* * *

Sasuke jolts out of the nightmare and rushes to the toilet, expelling everything in his stomach.

Setting an arm and his head down on the white porcelain bowl, he ignores the putrid smell and closes his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control.

At least he hadn't been forced to play out the rest of that scene. What happened next, he'd never forgive himself for. Never.

* * *

 **A/N** _:_

* * *

Right, so a little bit of heavy stuff. We can blame the fact that life has been fairly stressful for me at the moment. Or Suigetsu. He's the one who called and triggered the memory. Yeah! It's all his fault.

Also, a lot of you guessed correctly on Itachi's secret. Good job.

 **Next time** : Little bit of a time skip and school drama which makes Sasuke angry. I mean, like, really angry. Oh, and we get to see little of Neji and Tenten. Then, Naruto…well, I've already said too much. I'll let you see for yourself.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Bullies and Apologizes

**Chapter Sixteen: Bullies and Apologizes**

* * *

(Little bit of a time skip/Friday)

The next few days fly by quickly.

Fortunately, Sasuke doesn't have any more nightmares, home-life has calmed down, and he's finished the orientation for work. As for school, well, it doesn't settle down, but he gets used to it. As much as one can.

Every day, there are hushed whispers, veiled insults, curious or captivated stares, and the awkward interactions. Many of the students seem afraid that asking any questions about the last three years will send him into hysterics so they dance around the subject. Instead, they watch and put his behavior under a microscope, examining it for answers they so desperately seek. One would think the excitement would have blown over the past week, but no.

So, he lifts his head in the hallways, refusing to look down at the ground, and walks proudly. Sasuke hopes that one day, his emotionless and unwavering composure will cause his peers to leave him be and move onto more interesting endeavors.

In regards to homeroom, Naruto and Sai are still content to socialize with each other and don't really bother him, aside from a few glances in his direction when they are obviously talking about him.

In geometry, he turns in the tedious homework assignments and pays a bit more attention to Shino. It gives him an excuse to sit next to Aburame during lunch, who, thankfully, is very quiet. With the group trying to include him more, Sasuke does his best to balance his disinterest while trying not to appear as a complete asshole. He's not sure how well he's succeeding.

Biology is still uncomfortable as ever. Sakura is now attempting to get he and Naruto to talk to each other. It's not working as they are both too stubborn. Sasuke isn't the type to beg for attention and, if Naruto isn't ready to give it, then Sasuke doesn't want to force anything (unless the job calls for it). For now, this is how it will be.

Even worse is gym. Sasuke obtained his excuse to sit out most activities. He still has to change and do the warm-ups but after that, it's to the bleachers with paper assignments. At least it's a good time for observation.

Unfortunately, more absurd rumors spread like wildfire the first class he sat out. This time, they said he was too "delicate" or "sick". Sasuke wanted nothing more than to clear the air and show everyone that he wasn't participating because he is the opposite of "delicate" but it would ruin his cover. Better for them to underestimate him, his mother consoled, than for Sasuke to prove them wrong.

Nevertheless, it's a difficult urge to resist. Sasuke would like nothing more than to make an example of the next person who calls him a victim. And, if this was Sound, he'd do it. But, once again, this is a job, not just him attending high school. He has other matters to consider than his own reputation.

Naturally, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata are constantly there during study hall on B days to remind him of all the new gossip. It's mostly about him. Aside from that, Sasuke sifts through the rest of it to glean more information about Naruto's schoolmates.

Lastly, there's art (as his few other B classes aren't worth mentioning). He managed to finish the drawing on time and turn it in. Sai loves to use the period to make strange comments, making the whole table uncomfortable. Fortunately, few of them are about Sasuke. Otherwise, the Uchiha wasn't sure what he'd do to his not-really co-worker.

It's on a Friday, about two weeks since he's been back, when his short supply of patience flares out.

The morning starts with him getting dropped off at school about thirty minutes early. Naruto isn't scheduled to arrive for another twenty. So, Sasuke uses the time to stop by his locker and work on an assignment that isn't due until next week.

Maybe five minutes into it, a shadow falls over his book.

Squinting up, he sees a bunch of smug teenagers, also known as the main delinquent group of the school. Many of them have casual shirts peeking out under their unbuttoned school jackets and chains looping around their pants pockets. One in the back even has a bandana around his neck. Two more sport shaved heads.

"So," the 'ringleader' kicks Sasuke's shoe. "I heard you were Orochimaru's bitch in Sound."

"Excuse me?" He feels his nostrils flare with the indignation.

"Yea, he must'a fucked ya so good you have to permanently sit out of gym!" the bald lackey to the left adds in.

The seven boys behind him laugh like it's the funniest joke they've heard in months.

Sure, this isn't the first time he's heard someone say this behind his back. This time, however, someone actually has the balls to say it to his face, even if there are a bunch of his friends standing behind him to back the culprit up. With Sasuke's constant lack of sleep, dealing with his controlling father day-in and day-out, trying to pretend he's fine with Naruto ignoring him, the vivid nightmares, added on top of having to go to school and putting up with a bunch of juveniles who have nothing better to do than to gossip and cause drama even though he's already earned his fucking diploma…something inside him snaps like a twig.

Sasuke slowly closes his book.

"What? Got nothin' to say?"

He sets it down next to his backpack.

"It must be true!" someone in the back shouts.

A collective "Ooooh!" makes its way through the group. A few of the dumbfucks even lean back and bring a fist to their mouth while raising one leg in some foolish, synchronized movement. Like a mutt taking a piss.

Their stupidity only adds flames to the growing fire in his belly.

Sasuke stands, keeps eye contact with the male a few inches shorter as he brushes off his pants.

Everyone quiets down.

Can the mere feeble creatures feel the killing intent rolling off him? Do they sense he is just moments away from ripping out their spines and watching them twitch and defecate themselves on the ground?

The ringleader with the bad haircut swallows and his right foot slides back.

At least _he_ can sense the danger.

The same can't be said for the lacky on the left. "You gonna do something about it, Uchiha? There are eight of us and one of you."

Eight. The number is pathetic against someone who was deployed all around the world as Taka. Someone who had taken down entire armies with a four-man squad. Someone who defeated Orochimaru...

He simply stares down at the frightened, brainless moron as his rage argues with logic. Iruka has a strict no-violence policy. Sasuke is working a job for USO that places him in the Fire Lord's favor. Not only that, but he gets to watch Naruto on a daily basis. Even if it's from afar and at a place where he loathes. Plus, he'd get another lecture from his father if he acted on his feelings.

No, these maggots aren't worth ruining the current setup he has.

Still, they don't have to know that. He tilts up his chin and clenches his jaw.

The leader takes another step back.

This time Sasuke follows.

The rest of them silently move out the way as Sasuke forces the fucktard to back up several more steps.

Sasuke stops as the boy's back hits the outside fence. The ringleader uses his outstretched hands to grab the chain links, seemingly trying to fuse into the fence to get away.

"For the record, Orochimaru never used me as a fucktoy but as a commanding soldier for his military army where I learned to kill. So, if your group of needledicks wants to come at me, go ahead. Otherwise..." he trails off and lowers his voice, "I suggest you run."

The leader does a full body twitch. As if he knows he should flee but doing so would diminish his follower's confidence in him.

"I'm only going to warn you one more time. Get. Lost."

"What is going on here!?" A new voice interjects.

Sasuke turns to see Neji approaching. He was another old classmate.

The leader of the group takes his distraction as a chance to run. Confused, the others frantically attempt to catch up.

Watching them go, the Hyuuga approaches Uchiha. "Causing problems already?"

"Only standing up for myself."

"Alright," the brunette with long hair nods.

Sasuke hides his surprise. He expected a lecture. Three years ago, Neji was a colossal asshole and a tattletale. This mature version of him is refreshing. So far. It's only been about a minute.

"That's it?"

"I may be in the grade above you but I'm not a teacher. I'm your…" the teen's brows furrow in thought.

"Schoolmate?" Sasuke suggests.

"Potential friend," he corrects. "It wasn't right for them to gang up on you like that and I'm a different person than the one you knew a few years ago. I have zero tolerance for bullying of any kind. Besides, we hang with the same circle. I just have a different class schedule."

Sasuke still can't help but be a little suspicious. The Hyuugas' and his own family have always seen each other as rivals. He'll go with it for now. "I see."

"Neji!" A familiar girl with two buns on top of her head runs up. "What was that?"

"Sora(1) and his group were causing problems again," Neji answers.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised. When are they not?"

"Never."

"Sasuke," Tenten turns to him with a hand out. "Good to see you again, even under the present circumstances."

"Likewise," he shakes her hand.

"A handshake, Tenten, really?"

"Oh, shut up Neji! How was I supposed to greet him?" She shoves a pointing finger in her friend's face with the other hand on her hip. "You are just jealous of how cool I looked and wish you had thought to do the same."

Letting them bicker with each other, Sasuke ignores the rest of the conversation to turn, pick up his stuff and walk towards the front entrance. Naruto would be arriving soon.

* * *

Sasuke works to eliminate his anger throughout the rest of school day. Fortunately, it goes a lot more smoothly than the morning did. Students are excited about the upcoming weekend and are more distracted by their plans than Sasuke and his most recent actions. Or maybe the encounter just hasn't gotten around yet. Sasuke hasn't said anything and Sora's group is probably too embarrassed to admit they ran from "Orochimaru's bitch."

Lunch ends with Naruto's squad arranging to hit the arcades once school is out. After, in Biology, Sakura invites Sasuke to join them. Naruto doesn't say anything, but his pinky does a little twitch as they fill out their observation sheet (the three had been assigned as lab partners).

A positive signal. Feeling a little hopeful, the Uchiha agrees. Plus, it would be bad to allow only Sai to attend. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, especially an arguably sane pair. Besides, Sasuke had been slacking on his after-school duties, leaving Sai to do all the work. He felt trying to force his way in would seem desperate, and unnatural. It appears he's made the correct call.

The trio leaves off on a lighter note than usual and Sasuke survives another gym class, making sure to text his mother in the locker rooms to tell her not to pick him up after school. He also sends one to Kakashi notifying the man he'd e-mail in his weekly report later.

After pressing the "send" arrow and shoving the phone into his pocket, Sasuke catches Naruto throwing him a few curious glances as he packs a P.E. uniform into his backpack. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he walks past Kiba and stops right by the blond.

"I'll walk you out." It's not a request.

Recognizing the demand for what it is, Naruto merely nods his head and shuts the metal door.

Unexpectedly, Kiba and Naruto's other friends just watch as they leave. Not protesting or even saying a peep as they go. As a matter of fact, most the changing room is quiet, trying to overhear any stray words.

Unluckily for them, the two don't talk until they arrive at Naruto's locker, upstairs.

"So, are you coming with us to the arcade?"

"Obviously."

Naruto doesn't rise to the bait, instead, he swallows. "Good."

Still feeling at a loss, and maybe a little disappointed, Sasuke watches as the other teen switches out textbooks.

So, this is what they are now? Two strangers who have awkward pauses in their conversation? Then again, at least Naruto is talking to him now.

"I..." the blond trails off, gaze cast downward as he closes the metal door.

Sort of talking, anyway.

Sasuke patiently waits as he watches the teen mentally struggle.

Naruto's eyes light up a bit more as he appears to change his mind and looks at his companion. "Do you need to stop at your locker, too?"

Not sure if he's disappointed or not, Sasuke shrugs and makes through the crowd of students to the stairwell in response. He's ready to be done with this…strangeness. Naruto quietly follows and waits for the Uchiha to exchange his notebooks.

Finishing up, he nods to the other and they exit the school.

The arcade is a few blocks down. Instead of waiting for the others, Naruto surprises Sasuke again and continues his way out the gated entry.

"Sasuke," the blond suddenly halts and turns to look at him, face full of determination.

"Are you finally going to ask? You've been staying oddly closed-mouthed since I've been back."

"Ask what? I've seen the news. I know where you've been. How you've been. There's no point in asking. No," Naruto breathes out some air to warm his hands.

After rubbing them together, he continues. "First off, I would like to apologize."

Caught off guard, Sasuke tilts his head, heart beating a little quicker. Does he feel at fault of the Orochimaru incident? Or is this about Naruto's cold shoulder? Only one way to find out.

"For what?"

"What do you mean, 'for what?'! I was right there when they took you. Right there!"

 _They._ He doesn't know about the scientist then.

"Why are you sorry for that? You were down the street, what were you going to do?"

"Something! Anything!" Naruto waves his hands in the air.

"I'm glad you didn't."

Naruto freezes. "What?"

"There's wasn't anything that you or I could have done. They would have overpowered us and then we both would have been kidnapped. Or dead. I purposely didn't call out for you because I didn't want you hurt. There was no reason for you to get involved."

"Bastard, it was miserable while you were gone," the blond whispers, cheeks red in an effort to stop water from welling up in his eyes. He takes a deep breath.

Feeling ill-at-ease, Sasuke looks to the side because when a man is having an emotional moment, you look away and allow him to have the moment. Even if it's Naruto, who has always felt his emotions strongly. And frequently.

Another reason is because, honestly, he couldn't bear to see the pained expression. Especially knowing he is the cause. Again.

It feels like a fist has punctured through his chest and is squeezing around his insides. If he didn't have such fine control over his emotions, he might have been fidgeting as well.

"Bastard." It's a little louder now to draw Sasuke's attention. "You're not even letting me apologize properly."

"Because you don't need to."

"I do! _I do_." Naruto firmly repeats. "Just let me finish. I'm so… _ashamed_ of myself. Not only did I fail to stop those awful people from taking you and doing horrible things, but it didn't matter how hard or how much time we spent looking for you because you were never found. In the end, you had to fucking rescue yourself. And that is so, so sad. Like no one cared about you. But it's not true."

Sasuke attempts to swallow down the growing lump in his throat. "I'm fine."

"You're not, though." The blond sympathetically rests a hand on his shoulder. "We should have been there for you."

"I was strong enough to get myself out," he brushes the warm appendage off.

Naruto frowns. "If our roles had been reversed, you would have found me, You always did, somehow knowing the right places to look every time."

"Naruto…" Sasuke pinches the bridge on his nose to attempt to ward off a headache creeping in. Too many emotions. "I'll accept your apology if we can stop talking about this."

"Okay, but for now, I'm still going to make it up to you. I haven't been a good friend since you came back. I wasn't very nice at first because I didn't know how to cope and because-well, all of that is going to change! I need to get over my guilt and include you more. I'm sorry for not doing so before. It didn't help that I felt a ridiculous rage at myself for not being able to help more. In the end, I just didn't know how to handle all of these stupid feelings."

Join the club.

In theory, it would be nice if they went back to the close relationship they had before. Except for one little thing.

Who was he kidding? It is a big thing.

Sasuke doesn't want Naruto to get too attached. He wasn't going to be the friend who could go to college with Naruto, or the one who'd drag his drunken ass back to the dorm. He couldn't be the one to open his friend's mind to the possibility of having sex with his own gender. Or the one to stand at Naruto's side, whatever the position, at the blond's wedding. He wouldn't be there to congratulate him on earning his degree nor to see him accepted into the position of the new Fire Lord, Naruto's biggest dream since they were kids.

No. Sasuke didn't know how long he had left, but he was sure it wasn't more than five years. After his heart procedure, he hadn't seen anyone live longer than that. Orochimaru and Kabuto said they were working on an adjustment but Sasuke killed one of them before it could unfold. Oops.

At least the pedophile had deserved it.

Now, Sasuke would have to settle on being the bodyguard posing as a friend.

The tight squeezing on his innards doubles.

"Sure," his voice croaks and Sasuke desperately hopes that Naruto doesn't pick up on it.

Luck is not on his side.

"I know what I did was shitty. I understand if you're still pissed," Naruto misinterprets his tone.

"I'm not some bitch," leading the way, Sasuke waves the concerned teen off. "C'mon, let's get going."

The Uchiha can't see the expression Namikaze is sporting behind him, but it can't be anything good.

* * *

 **A/N** :

* * *

(1): Sora is from some filler episodes in Naruto Shippuden (#54).

Also, Ladies, try not to be offended by Sasuke's last remark? Originally, it was going to be something like, "I'm not one to hold a grudge," but uh...I think we all know that's not true. Right now, he's more upset than mad.

As for Naruto's apology, some of you may say it's not enough. Maybe you're right. From this point, I think actions are stronger than words. There's also a hint at something larger at play if any of you caught it. Well, at least now you have that I pointed it out. ^^'

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto.

 **Next time** : Arcade, Sai continues to be evil, and what's this about a sleepover?


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Sleepover

***** Warnings in this chapter, too. I'm not sure how to label this one. Um…more nightmares? Torture? Killing? Gore? Psychos? That should cover it.

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen** : Sleepover

* * *

(Friday)

The two arrive at Nickelcade after some walking, both getting enough time to sort through their emotions.

After entering the building, Naruto immediately grabs Sasuke's arm to bring him over to where the rest of the group have gathered around a DDR platform with Sakura and Ino competing against each other.

They watch for a bit before Naruto successfully drags him over to a shooting game. The toy gun is nothing like the real thing but Sasuke has no trouble getting the hang of the plastic weapon and is soon taking out dozens of zombies. He has always had a good aim and his experience in Sound only gave him more practice.

Pouting at his loss, Naruto challenges him to Streetfighter.

The Uchiha angrily punches the buttons and wiggles the joystick but he can't get his character to cooperate as much as he'd like it to. Naturally, it leads to him losing and convincing Naruto to try their hand at racing.

And so the competing goes on for a few hours. It's almost like the good old days. For a moment, he forgets about his other duties. There's only him, his best friend and the arcade.

He's hitting a disk across the air hockey slab when the corner of his vision catches Sai watching the two with his arms folded over his chest. Sasuke would say that even with his blank expression, he looks jealous.

Then it all slams back into him like a ton of bricks. He's not there to have fun or play games. He should be watching for potential threats, keeping Naruto safe, and doing his job while not getting too attached to his subject. He's epically failing all three.

Sai sees the moment when the realization washes over Sasuke's face and smirks.

A puck has just launched into his goal. The Uchiha looks down at his traitorous hand.

"Yes! Finally! It's now three-five."

"Don't worry about your loss, it happens. At least you still have that gorgeous body going for you," Sai unfolds his arms, calling Sasuke's attention once more. He has that stupid fake smile on his face, pleased by his clever double-meaning jab.

Fucker. Sasuke was practically born to be a bodyguard, considering his family and all. No way in hell he'd let this _Root member_ outdo him. It wasn't like him to allow himself distractions.

Sasuke's grip tightens on the blocker, equally angry at himself as he is at Sai.

This shouldn't be such a difficult task, he needs to stop getting distracted. He'd performed more complicated missions sneaking around other countries on behalf of Sound. In comparison, this is an easier job, he just needs to reign in his emotions more.

The plastic under his fist cracks, breaking the tension. He quickly releases the tool.

"Oh shit! What the fuck?" Naruto exclaims looking the slightly crumpled red striker. "How'd you manage to damage that?"

"...I have a strong grip." It rolls off his tongue before he can think of a better excuse.

"No kidding! I feel bad for your dick."

"What the hell?" Sasuke's neck whips up, refusing to acknowledge the blush creeping into his cheeks. He's heard and done much worse so, why now? It's stupid that Naruto has such an effect on him.

Naruto walks around the table to get a closer look with a grin. Bringing his fingers up to his chin, the corner of his lips turn into a frown. "Anyways, now we have to go tell the store clerk."

The three regroup with the others scattered throughout the large room and approach the front counter. Naruto apologizes for the broken equipment, and the dark-haired worker near their age merely shrugs, mumbling something about "not getting paid enough to deal with this crap."

Sasuke ignores the snickers from the girls, Kiba, and Choji behind him.

Once that's taken care of, everyone exchanges their tickets in for prizes. Ino, Sakura, Hinata and Tenten say good-bye and all leave for Ino's place, excited about their sleepover.

Feeling spontaneous, Naruto invites the rest of them over to spend the night at his place.

Internally, Sasuke hesitates. His duty only requires him to watch Naruto at school and at the teen's after school hang-outs. At the Namikaze house, the blond has an entire security team doing a similar job. It isn't necessary for him to continue his supervision. Besides, Sasuke needs to be better at separating his personal life from the job.

A few of the others agree before Naruto tugs on his sleeve.

"You were doing so good and now you're acting weird again. What's the holdup? We used to do this all the time when we were kids."

Well, as a kid, Sasuke didn't want to fuck his best friend stupid. If given a moment alone tonight, the Uchiha doesn't think it's a good idea to further test his control. He's never had much when it comes to Naruto.

On another, less sexual note, did he really want to deal with people longer today when he could shut himself in his room to enjoy the peace and quiet?

No. It goes without saying. No way.

"Sasuke?"

He stares into those blue, blue eyes. They're worried.

"I'll come." It tumbles out of his mouth before his brain has time to process what just happened. Internally, he curses.

Sasuke can see nearly all the pearly white teeth in that beautiful mouth as his reward.

"Great, it'll be fun!"

But Sasuke has his doubts.

* * *

The Uchiha sends another text to his mom to tell her he'll be staying the night. Her response is a little too enthusiastic, she's happy that he's spending time with old friends.

He ignores the inquisitive stare the USO member guarding the gated entrance throws him as he enters with the group. Sasuke probably would have been searched if he wasn't a relative.

The Uchiha is not sure whether to be grateful for the fact or not. He didn't want to deal with getting singled-out but at the same time, he could have been an imposter or someone intending harm, being fresh out of Sound and all.

He shakes it off and walks up the spiral staircase behind Neji, who is making a phone call to his Uncle (a.k.a his guardian).

In the blond's room, they wait for a bit for Choji's mom, who drops off clothes for her son and Shikamaru. Also for Kiba, who has run down the street to get his. Shino sits quietly on the computer chair, claiming to be fine with sleeping in his uniform. Oddly enough, Sai has some sleeping clothes with him in his backpack.

Nearly five more minutes of chatting, Lee shows up panting, escorted by the security staff, with a gym bag in tow. He pulls out a pair of pajamas and tosses them to Neji.

Sasuke can't help but be amused at the Hyuuga's disgusted look at the matching green flannel pants and long sleeve shirt. At least it's not skintight.

He borrowed clothes too, but Naruto graced him with a black shirt with a swirl and a pair of black basketball shorts, even if they are a tad snug.

Once everyone is back and changed, they all settle down in front of the large T.V. in Naruto's room with the light off. Sasuke is fortunate to get the bed. Or not so fortunate. They're all on their stomachs facing the screen. "They" being him, Naruto, and Shikamaru (it's a large bed), which is weird but also is clouding his head with ideas.

Instead, he focuses on the movie. It's one Sasuke hasn't seen but that isn't saying too much because he hasn't kept up with any new ones the last few years (aside from what his family has had him watch recently).

Still, he finds the action movie predictable and unrealistic. If one of his crew ratted him out to the authorities, he would have handled the situation in a completely different way.

Bored, he looks around the room. Everyone is either really into it or falling asleep. So, he turns his head to watch the light from the film reflect on Naruto's face. It doesn't take long for the other teen to notice and return the gesture.

"You invited everyone over for me, didn't you?" Sasuke whispers, careful not to let the other's overhear.

Sheepish, Naruto rubs the back of his head. "I wanted to officially welcome you back."

"You know I hate hanging out in large groups."

His grin is mischievous. "I do know. I wanted you to see that everyone is happy you're back."

It's clear to Sasuke that Naruto's group only interacts with the Uchiha because they want to support the blond, not because they're happy he's back. Except for Sakura. She would have bothered him regardless.

"You didn't have to risk getting in trouble over that. Does your dad know you randomly invited a bunch of friends over?"

"Eh, he'll get over it. It's not the first time."

"I don't want you getting in trouble for my sake. If you're still feeling guilty, stop it. You're not the only one who needed time to adapt. You don't owe me anything."

"You're my best friend. I don't care how long we go without seeing each other. So, if I want to hang out with you, then I want to hang out with you. It's not because I feel guilty!" Naruto's voice progressively raises.

"Shh!" Someone shushes them from the floor. Probably Kiba.

The two focus back on the movie for a tiny bit. However, Sasuke has one more thing to say. "You've gotten popular. It used to be just us."

Naruto pauses and gives him a happy smile. "I learned how to make friends. Turns out I'm pretty good at it."

"Loser." Sasuke lifts a hand to shove the blond's leering face away. It is getting too close for comfort.

"Jerk," Naruto falls a little over to Shikamaru's side.

The two freeze.

The brunette mumbles something in his sleep but doesn't wake up.

"See? Look what you did!"

"You two. Be quiet!" The strict command comes from Neji this time.

The two settle down for real. Sasuke rests his head down on his arms and his eyelids gradually droop, inhaling the distinctly Naruto scent. The detergent used on the bedding smells a bit like lavender. It hasn't changed at all.

Slowly, as the minutes go by, his body starts to relax. He doesn't have to be on watch for threats, the house is secure.

When was the last time he felt this comfortable? With only a sheet, the temperature is perfect. There's a cool breeze blowing from the wall vent onto the back his neck.

Not to mention the expensive memory foam mattress is splendid. Not too soft and not too lumpy. He doesn't want to move.

Gradually, his breathing slows, his brain ignores the background noises, and he drifts off to sleep.

* * *

 _At first, the dream starts off pleasant. He's back at the arcade beating the pants off Naruto. Almost literally. Every time he wins a match, Naruto has to take off an article of clothing. His shirt is coming off when someone knocks on the door._

 _Suddenly the two are in a hallway from the island off the coast of Sound country._

" _You don't want to go in there."_

 _Sasuke turns to see half-naked Naruto has morphed into a very clothed Suigetsu._

 _Damnit! Not this dream again. Shit! Fuck!_

 _He turns to run away from the door. It doesn't matter. He's transported into that room again._

 _Helpless, he can only watch as the scene plays itself out for what feels to be the hundredth girl is yanked into the chair and burned and there's not anything Sasuke can do to help._

 _Except this time, the dream doesn't stop._

" _Sasuke, come here," Orochimaru beckons him over to the flaming barrel._

 _Fearing what they'll do to him or the girl if he doesn't obey, he follows the command. His body gets off the floor, away from the pile of vomit, and draws near the passed out female._

 _Kabuto is doing something with a syringe._

" _Is that for me?" Sasuke is a little surprised the words emerge out of his mouth. He half thought that when it opened again, more partially digested food would expel._

" _No, you silly boy. We're waking her back up."_

 _He can't stop it. He gives them the exact desperate expression they were fishing for. "You don't have to do that," he says slowly in order to prove the truth in his words. "I'll abide by the rules."_

 _The duo laugh, only fueling his rage more. How can they find this funny? They're torturing a teenage girl who is unable to defend herself. Trained soldier or not._

 _He desperately wants to tell them off. Naruto would. But he also doesn't want the situation to get worse._

 _The scientist abruptly jerks him closer to Kin's body as Kabuto jabs the needle into a vein in her arm._

" _I grow bored of this. We're sending a boost of adrenaline to her heart to wake the girl back up. If you care about her, you'll take that poker and push it through her skull to end her misery."_

 _Wide-eyes he stares at the man in horror. "..._ _ **What**_ _?"_

" _Kill her!"_

" _Hush Kabuto. You heard me."_

 _Kill her?_ _ **Kill her**_ _? On one hand, it would put her out of her misery. On the other, this is all insanity! True, people had died in the cell when he first got there because of him but he didn't physically take their life. And with the mission, he sat back and practically let the main team get slaughtered, but once again, he didn't actually do the deed himself._

 _If only he had assisted more with the last mission. But then, wasn't this punishment mainly because the disposable team came back instead of the original team? The only way to avoid this would have been with his death. What would have happened to Naruto? His family? To Fire Country?_

 _No, he'd have to suck it up. There is no other choice._

 _Sasuke's hand trembles as he pulls out the black object. It's hot but not unbearably so, unlike the tip._

 _Kin's wheezes and whimpers. She's awake._

 _Sasuke brings the angry red metal level to his eyesight. He wants to use it to attack these psychos and end this madness._

" _Tick-tock, tick-tock."_

 _He looks at the girl. She's terrified, probably has pissed herself if the smell is any indication. She doesn't deserve any of this. It's all on him. Kin catches his gaze._

" _Do it!" She begs. "Please!"_

 _Swallowing, he lines the poker up._

" _Kill her! Kill her! KILL HER!" Kabuto chants._

 _He ignores his trembling hands and thrusts the hot metal through, attempting to be as quick as he can. Blood splatters and pools out as the weapon exits the other side. There is less resistance than he'd thought they'd be._

 _Shocked, he releases the poker and backs away. Did he really just….?_

" _Finally."_

" _Such an obedient little soldier. You passed the test, consider yourself promoted," Orochimaru congratulates._

 _Sasuke doesn't hear them. He only needs to-_

* * *

Puke! He's going to puke!

Snapping awake, Sasuke quickly rolls off the bed and sprints past the static T.V. to the toilet, mindful of the sleeping bodies.

He then throws up all the contents of his stomach, attributing the few tears leaking out the corner of his eyes to the violent expulsion.

Not long after, Naruto enters the room, rubbing an eye. By this point Sasuke has emptied his stomach and is splashing water on his face, cursing himself for not waking before the rest of the dream played out. It's eerie that he didn't rouse when the movie finished or when the other males settled down for the night. He slept through it all. Isn't he supposed to be some kind of super-soldier?

How could have slept through the noise? Was he really that tired?

"You feel okay?"

"I'm fine."

The blond finishes with his eyes and gives him a concerned look. "You always say that."

"Then why'd you ask?" Sasuke takes in his reflection in the mirror as he wipes off the liquid droplets rolling down his cheeks and off the tips of his hair.

"Common courtesy. Plus, I needed to know if you're actually sick or if it was something else. You want to talk about it?"

"Do I ever want to talk about it?" the Uchiha finishes with the towel.

"No, but it would it make you feel better."

"It won't."

"Yes, it will."

"What's going on?" Shikamaru appears behind Naruto with a yawn.

"Sasuke had a sudden urge to use the restroom," the blond answers for him.

The Uchiha scowls at the two and goes into the other room to walk around more air mattresses.

Climbing to his section on the bed, he stubbornly throws the sheets over his head and lays down.

Embarrassed, he ignores the questions from the others as Naruto settles everyone down.

Soon, Naruto delicately climbs over him to his spot in the middle.

Sasuke can feel the curious gaze staring into the back of his head but doesn't respond.

"He doesn't want to talk about it. Leave him," Shikamaru remarks from his side on the bed.

Eventually, there's a sigh and the rustle of the sheets as the Namikaze gets comfortable.

Sasuke knows better than to let himself fall asleep this time.

* * *

 **A/N** :

* * *

So, there won't be any more terrible nightmares for a bit so at least there's that? At least more questions have been answered? No?

*Ducks out and goes to work on the next chapter*

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Nicklecade, DDR, Streetfighter, or memory foam. I know, shocker, right?

 **Next time** : Sasuke hangs out with his family, an intruder shows up at the house, and Itachi pisses Sasuke off. :O


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Family

**Chapter Eighteen** : Family, isn't it about time?

* * *

(Saturday/Sunday)

The next morning, the ravenous teens file downstairs into the large dining room for breakfast after one of the maids knocks on Naruto's door to tell them it's ready.

Minato doesn't bat an eye at them enclosing around the table like a group of sharks. The security team must have informed him of their arrival. He does, however, shoot Naruto a scolding look over the newspaper he's reading.

As for Sasuke, fortunately, nothing more is said of last night's episode but Naruto is still hovering as they dish up. The Uchiha ensures that a few people sit between them when they pick their seats.

After breakfast, Neji cleans up and mentions having to leave because he has a family thing. Naruto takes that as his cue and brags about his date with Sakura in a few hours. Most of the boys are polite enough to take the hint and head out. Sasuke included. Or should he say, especially?

He could have called for someone to pick him up but that would mean awkwardly waiting in the sitting room with the other males teasing Naruto about how far he's gone with Sakura.

Sasuke hears an embarrassed "second base," as he escapes and steps down the porch. Not that he cares about the answer, he tells himself. For now, all he wants is some alone time. Maybe he'll go to the USO later today and find a decent sparring partner. There's always that match he and Kakashi agreed on…or maybe he can get Itachi out there on the mat. He'd love another chance to show up his brother. Beating his high scores only temporarily scratched the itched motivating him to surpass the other.

He briskly walks down to the bus stop while brainstorming combat strategies to defeat both Kakashi and Itachi. The thoughts last him long after he's boarded the bus and until he steps off on his street.

Using his house key on the lock, he steps inside and is greeted by the smell of breakfast. And his mother.

"Sasuke, is that you?" she peeks into the small lobby wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Yes, Mother."

"Why didn't you have me pick you up?"

"I wanted to walk a bit."

"Oh," she gestures for him to follow her back into the kitchen. "How'd the sleepover go?"

Did she want to hear "fun"? That wasn't an expression Sasuke normally used or one that suited him. "We went to the arcade, played some games, went over to Naruto's, and fell asleep to a movie."

"Good, good," she hums walking over the overly-large kitchen island. "I cut up some fruit. You should eat it if you're still hungry."

"Ah, thanks." Sasuke approaches and takes a small plate off the side to dish up the mangos, strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, and raspberries. He may have eaten about a pound of pancakes already, but his mother went through all the effort of cutting everything up so he wanted to be polite.

True, she had been doing a lot of this lately. Going majorly out of her way to do things for him. Yesterday, she tried to wash a shirt he'd had only wore once. The past few weeks, she ensured the fridge stayed stocked with plenty of tomatoes so Sasuke would have them available whenever he wanted. She often knocked on his door to talk to him about how his day went or to advise wearing sunscreen the next day or bringing an umbrella with him to school.

Don't get Sasuke wrong, he loved his mother. He would do anything for the woman and understood that she missed him and was trying to make up for the years of his absence. However, it was starting to get…overbearing. Especially when he has to turn off the shower so she can hear him answering a question. Or when he justs wants to finish reading a chapter but she interrupts to talk about something a neighbor said. When he has the door shut trying to get dressed and she knocks demanding to come in and get his laundry. Pestering him about work and how he should be careful on the job. The little things were starting to add up.

"Is Itachi here? Dad?" he asks, shaking off lingering thoughts.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Your father got free tickets to the rodeo that's in town for the weekend. We were waiting for you to get back so we could go."

"I could have come home earlier."

"Nonsense, we wanted you to have a good time with your friends."

"I'll shower and get dressed." He shoves the last bite into his mouth so he can do just that. So much for the matches he had planned for the day.

* * *

The evening rushes by with horses, cowboys, bulls, country music and fried food. Konan even tags along so he gets to amuse himself watching a different, courting side of his brother for the rest of the evening.

Unsurprisingly, he catches glimpses of blond and pink hair a few times during the event. It's usually followed by an Uchiha subtly making their way through the crowd.

Free tickets, huh? Maybe from Minato. He already has at least three agents on Naruto for the day, was it really necessary to invite Fugaku and his family as well? Talk about an overprotective father. But Sasuke already knew all about that. It came with the Fourth Hokage's job.

When they get home, it's somewhat late and everyone heads off to shower, get ready for bed, or in Itachi's case, drop Konan off.

After spending some time in the bathroom, Sasuke's ready to settle down and turns in a little early, determined to compensate for today's missed exercise tomorrow morning.

After dropping and adjusting a pillow on the rim of the tub, he lets out a sigh of contentment and lets himself drift off.

It's late when he hears the alarm shut off and the front door unlocks. Figuring it's just Itachi, he shifts to his other side. Forgetting he had set a bottle of shampoo there from his shower earlier, he hits it with the pillow and knocks it over into the tub. It falls right onto his hipbone with a loud thud.

"Shit!" That was a little too close for comfort.

He picks up the new bottle to set it on the other side when he realizes two things:

One, Itachi is being unusually quiet. Sasuke hasn't heard the sound of him taking off his shoes or setting down his keys.

Two, the alarm hasn't been turned back on.

Sasuke sits up, keeping the bottle in hand. It can used as a weapon if need be. Or at least, a momentary distraction.

Light footsteps trail slowly up the stairs, attempting to be as silent as possible. They hesitate at the top as if contemplating where to go.

There is a goddamn robber in the house. Fugaku Uchiha's house. The man who's in charge of a company focused on security. Aren't they supposed to have state-of-the-art technology protecting the property? What the hell?

The feet have started to come this way. A little relieved they chose his direction over the other, he hunkers back in the tub so he can jump up and catch them off guard.

The door to his bedroom slowly slides open.

The perpetrator's breathing is quiet. Too quiet. Robbers normally wait till the house is empty to hit anyway. Not only that, but they've walked passed all the valuables in the foyer and expensive decorations leading up the twisted staircase.

Sound, then. An enemy tracked him down? He kept his identity a secret. To the world, he's just another useless soldier Orochimaru kidnapped. The only four who know he's Taka's head wouldn't tell anybody. Would they?

And then there's Kabuto. The most likely perpetrator. Sasuke didn't think the mental state he left the almost-adult was a functioning one or one that could be recovered.

He should have killed the bastard when he had the chance.

The creeper has stopped, a little surprised at not finding Sasuke's sleeping form on the bed. Maybe Kabuto will leave, thinking he's not home.

Sasuke peeks up and can only make out his bed through the cracked bathroom doorway, the light from the hall is creating a yellow line that stretches all the way to the back wall. He studies what he can see of the intruder's silhouette. It's male but not the right shape to be Kabuto. An assassin? They don't appear to have a weapon on them.

He activates his night vision to see if he can pick up any more details. No luck. The shadow isn't giving off any more clues.

The steps start up again, heading towards the bathroom.

He steadies one hand alongside himself, gripping the rim of the tub, and silently brings his legs underneath himself, ready to spring and throw the shampoo.

They're almost-

A light floods the bathroom blinding Sasuke's vision.

"Fuck!" The surprise attack burns his retinas. His pupils immediately shrink down, shutting off his night vision.

He drops the bottle and falls back on his ass.

One hand covers and presses into his closed eyelids to alleviate the fire and the other still on the side, ready to defend himself if needed. No doubt his assailant will take advantage and come at him.

"Sasuke, what the hell?"

Itachi's voice. His body uncoils in relief.

Still rubbing at one of his eyes, he peeks the other one open.

"That's my line. Why are you trying to sneak up on me? You forgot to turn the alarm back on. I thought someone was breaking in."

"Impossible, our facial recognition program would alert headquarters if someone were to attempt such a feat. And that's only after they had bypassed the Canary, Kuna, and the Skyline security systems. As for why I'm here, your bathroom is right above the front door and I heard a noise and came to check if you were still awake. Finally, and most importantly, why on earth are you sleeping in a bathtub?"

Oh. Both eyes now squint up at his brother. Well, this is awkward.

"You know what? Never mind. I'm done with this charade. _Done_. Our parents might be content with turning a blind eye and pretending nothing has happened, but no more. You obviously have problems-"

"Oi."

"- _we_ obviously have problems and need the help. We're all going to visit a therapist. Preferably as soon as possible. I'll see to it in the morning." And with that, Itachi turns around and leaves the room.

"...at least turn the light back off."

Either his brother doesn't hear him or ignores the request. With an irritated growl, Sasuke gets and up does the deed himself. Settling back down in the tub, the corners of his mouth turn down.

Okay, so maybe he did have a few problems. Both physically and mentally. But at least he made it out alive and with all his limbs. The nightmares were a problem but he usually didn't sleep much anyway nowadays. And then there were those moments where someone would mention something and his mind would drift off to some awful experience or another. But still, he was okay, wasn't he? He didn't have any overwhelming desire for self-harm and he was getting pretty good at suppressing his shitty memories. He was strong. An Uchiha.

That fucking bottle teeters over again and falls on his arm. He stares at it, incredibly tempted to throw it across the room.

Alright, _maybe_ he has a lot of problems. But therapy? No way he was going to pour out his innermost thoughts to some stranger. Especially not if his family would be there to hear them. He didn't need them thinking him any more fragile than they already did.

Yeah, they were doing fine. Nothing is wrong with ignoring the elephant in the room. He was going to fight this.

* * *

The next evening finds him in a car with his family on their way to Dr. Yamaka, a therapist. He isn't sure what Itachi did to convince his parents to go so quickly, but he's definitely irritated.

It's a Sunday, who even practices on a Sunday, anyway? Then again, his family is very good at _conveniently_ getting their way. A little bribe here and there and they usually get what they want. Is it crooked? Probably. Do they care? Probably not.

The group doesn't talk as they unload out of the car to approach the near-empty office. There's a blond man with a very long ponytail flipping through a magazine in one of the waiting chairs.

Upon seeing them enter, he flips the paper shut and stands up for a handshake.

"You find the place okay?"

"Didn't have a problem," Fugaku returns the gesture.

Dr. Yamaka moves on to shake Itachi and Mikoto's hands. "Good. I think the central location is worth the cost."

"Something we both agree on," his father replies.

Sasuke takes his turn for a handshake. "You must be Sasuke. I believe you go to school with my daughter, Ino."

"Ino? Yes, I know her."

The man waits for Sasuke to say more after resting his hand at his side but when it's clear the teen has nothing to say, the doctor clears his throat.

"Shall we move into my actual office then?" he asks with a head indication to the modern door.

"Sounds good." Mikoto is the first to file in behind him as the therapist sits at the desk.

The rest settle and the session goes by pretty quick. It's more of a getting to know everybody than anything else. Sure, they established why they were there and why it was needed, but otherwise, Dr. Yamaka couldn't get them to progress much farther. While Sasuke's mom was willing to talk about her feelings, he and his father's lips were sealed tight. Itachi made sure to voice his thoughts and concerns (their father is too controlling and strict, Sasuke avoids sharing what happened, Mother is overprotective, etc).

And so, they ended the session on an awkward note after the hour was up. Yamaka had the nerve to assign them all homework before they left. Sasuke and Fugaku were supposed to reflect on their feelings to share something "real" on the next visit. Also, he advised the family to have at least one meal together each day, every day.

 _At least there was one good thing about the session_ , Sasuke thought to himself on the silent drive home. The doctor encouraged them to focus less on him and his predicament and more on their family unit and how it functions.

As soon as they went through the door, the group went into different rooms. Sasuke assumed Itachi wanted the space to think, his father just wanted to be alone, and he, himself, was uncomfortable with their emotions. How is he supposed to deal with those?

About thirty minutes later, Itachi knocks on Sasuke's open door. Inwardly, the teen silently hopes the other is not there to talk more about the session.

He pauses the Xbox game and gives his brother his (irritated) full attention.

"I'm heading back on campus. I'd rather make the drive while I'm still awake."

"Ok, drive safe." He unpauses the game, aims at some poor, unsuspecting bot, and blows their head off.

"That's it?"

"Hn."

"You're still mad." Sasuke catches brief amusement in Itachi's expression from the corner of his eye.

"I'm not." Another NPC falls to the ground.

"Going to the therapist isn't anything to be embarrassed about."

"You're going to get me killed," Sasuke says, referring to the game.

His brother studies him for a moment before replying, thankfully changing the subject. "I might drive down during the week but if not, I'll see you next Friday."

Sasuke grunts and concentrates on winning the match, refusing to feel guilty about pushing Itachi away. Again.

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

Therapy? Who saw that coming? I did (naturally). I wanted to introduce it earlier on but somehow it got pushed back to here. _

And erm, I didn't actually get to write a chapter this month between both jobs and school. Not even during Spring Break as all my professors decided to assign a bunch of 5-8 page papers (specifically, I had to write six). Nevertheless, I hate missing updates so I'm posting a chapter anyway. Good thing I try to stay at least five chapters ahead. Now it will be four. _

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Xbox, Canary, Kuna or Skyline security systems. Actually, for all you know, maybe I physically own one of their products. I just didn't invent them. :P

 **Next time** : Swords **,** fights, and discoveries. Honestly, it's a little intense. No negative flashbacks, though. I swear.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Terrible Monday(s)

**Chapter Nineteen** : Terrible Monday(s)

* * *

(Monday)

 _The guns were easy to master. Sasuke had plenty of learning experience from his brother, who, occasionally allowed Sasuke to join him at USO's shooting range._

 _Now, Orochimaru was training Sasuke in the art of sword fighting. They were done for the evening and the Uchiha ate his meal from the cafeteria and now had to find a way to entertain himself for a few hours before going to bed._

 _He ended up in an empty training facility with the chokuto Orochimaru gifted him after a recent mission's success._

 _Ensuring he was using the correct breathing technique, he held the sword up in the air. Slowly, he'd guide the weapon down, only to gently bring it back up._

 _Someone else enters the large room. Sasuke ignores them and focuses on what he is doing, performing a different, same speed maneuver to the side._

" _Hey," the word echoes around the room. It's Suigetsu._

 _Sasuke doesn't respond._

" _Are you practicing a warm up? It's a little slow for stretching out your muscles."_

 _The other male continues when it's obvious Sasuke's not going to answer his question. "Lately, we've been spending most our days learning how to fight as a team. Why are you in this wretched place with your two hours of free time?"_

" _You are here, too," he breaks his silence._

" _Only so I could catch up to you."_

" _Hn," Sasuke smirks as he brings Kusanagi down gently._

" _But seriously, why are you swinging down at a snail's pace? An enemy isn't going to wait around for you to hack at them. What's the point in practicing that?"_

 _Sasuke decides to clue him in. It does look a little silly. "It's not about the speed, it's about the blade form. Try it for yourself."_

 _Suigetsu unclips the giant blade on his back and makes a sluggish swing. "I feel like I couldn't even kill an old man like this."_

" _Again."_

 _The water-loving teen mimics the motion once more and shrugs. "I suppose it feels a little heavier at this pace."_

" _Is it making you tired?"_

" _No, not really."_

" _There's your point."_

" _Eh? The fact that it isn't making me tired? Why are you doing an exercise like that? You're wasting your time!"_

" _Not really. It's something an old teacher taught me."_

" _To fight like a turtle?"_

" _Think about it. Of course you weren't tired after swinging a blade around a few, or even a hundred times. You do that multiple times every day. But what about last week, when we were fighting off some of the security in Waterfall Country?"_

" _I almost got my arm cut off but at least I got the intel Orochimaru was after."_

" _You were exhausted after a three-minute bout. Also, you blew our cover."_

" _Whatever," Suigetsu starts to equip the blade onto his back._

 _Sasuke doesn't bring up the chokuto this time and stares head on at Suigetsu. He's already invested this much time, he might as well explain the technique properly. Besides, this guy is his teammate so his success is all of theirs'._

" _The reason you were more tired in the fight was because your opponent was resisting but you also had to focus on your attack patterns. I'm trying to fix that problem."_

" _Fighting without focusing? That going to get you killed faster than a rat in a lab."_

 _Sasuke has to resist the urge to pinch the bring of his nose, the Uchiha equivalent of a face-palm. Suigetsu is pretty competent on their missions, usually. He normally catches on more quickly than this. "I'm trying to focus while using less energy. If your mind is focused, your body becomes tense. If your body is tense, your energy will quickly evaporate."_

" _Oh! I'm finally starting to get it. Your training method is for fighting large groups of people. By staying fluid and using more energy, you'll last longer."_

" _Under Orochimaru, we will undoubtedly go to war. We can't tire after taking down only a couple dozen enemies. If I master this training, I should be able to take out a hundred even by myself."_

 _A white eyebrow raises. "You always gotta aim higher than the rest of us, don't you?"_

" _It's how I stay on top."_

* * *

Monday morning, Sasuke shakes off the dream and grudgingly drags himself to class, not really feeling up to dealing with a bunch of whiney, dramatic teenagers. He misses the weekend already.

As expected of the first day of the week, it reluctantly passes by. Nothing of interest happens until he's heading from Biology to Gym. Recently, he'd been walking there with Naruto, but today he had to make an impromptu stop at the bathroom and told the blond they'd meet up later.

He washes his hands in the sink and grabs a paper towel to dry them. Tossing it in the trash bin, he exits the facilities and walks down the empty halls towards the gymnasium.

His lone steps sound loudly between the lockers and hallway. It's as he turns the corner, that the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Sasuke doesn't hesitate and keeps at his regular pace, relying on his ears to pick up anything amiss. He doesn't want to tip anyone off that he's noticed their presence.

He estimates about seven pairs of shoes attempting to quietly pad behind him. The Uchiha's mind flashes back to the teens that tried to harass him recently. Surely, it's the same group, however, they seem to be missing one. Last time there were eight. Maybe at least one was smart enough not to bother him this time around?

 _Not that it matter_ s.

A bald one shows up on his left and grabs his arm. Sasuke allows the action, confident that he could use this one as a shield if need be.

"Strutting around like you fucking own the place because you escaped one fight, you made us look real bad last time, ya know?"

"That's right, we're going to pay ya back with interest," another floats to his right side while the others crowd in behind him.

Now, Sasuke has a few options. Once more, he can fight but the consequences are not worth it. He could escape. That choice is thrown away as soon as it enters his brain. It would be too embarrassing to flee from these cowards. He could let them beat the shit out of him. Their punches couldn't compare to professionals, it wouldn't take long to heal, and they may even leave him alone afterward. He feels his pride twinge as the last option but it seems to be the most feasible.

Seeing an upcoming bathroom, Sasuke is unsurprised when they yank him into it.

 _Ah, there's the ringleader_. Sora leans against the sink examining his nails.

Noticing their presence he straightens up. "I was wondering if you were going to run away."

"From a bunch of cunts? Unlikely."

This snatches the attention of the boy across from him with the medium-length hair. Sora snarls, brings his arm up, and slaps Sasuke like some bitch.

See? A pussy.

The Uchiha centers his head once more and stares at the teen head-on, refusing to touch his stinging cheek.

Then again, there's always option four. After their encounter last time, Sasuke did some research on the group of ruffians. He had only gleaned a small amount of blackmail material but it would be enough to buy him another location.

"Does your father know how much of a delinquent you are?"

"Shut up!" Sora raises a hand to strike the other cheek but Sasuke grabs the wrist in a swift motion. He feels the other seven stiffen but they stay in position. For now.

"Or should I say, fathers? After all, weren't you and a few others here raised as orphans at the monastery? How do you think the monks will react when they discover that you guys are not following their teachings? Will they cast you out? Isn't what they usually do to boys who misbehave?"

Sora's jaw tightens. A few members of the crowd behind them shift uneasily.

"Boss, you going to let him talk to use like that?" the sturdy bald one asks from the back.

"I don't need the monks to take care of me. I can make my own path."

"And live on the streets? It's not as easy as you think." Sasuke shoves the wrist away from his face. He's got them.

"What do you know?"

"A lot more than you. Here's my proposal, you allow me to go to class and we can continue later today outside school grounds. Bring your lackeys and whoever the hell you want and we'll have it out."

"Maybe we should-"

"Shut it!" Sora interrupts the smallest-looking one in the group. After taking a deep breath, he looks back at Sasuke. "We're going to bring more and beat your bitch-ass. Six O'clock at Jitensha park."

The Uchiha merely smirks and makes his leave. The group allows him to pass but protest to their leader as soon as they think he's out of earshot.

"We had him! Why are we letting him go?"

"Because, Stupid, we can gather more people and whale on him as much as we want, without any interruptions."

"What if he calls the cops or goes running to his father?"

"He won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He'll come alone. He's a prideful little shit. I look forward to taking him down."

A little bubble of excitement floats up from Sasuke's stomach and into his chest to join the adrenaline. He'd been itching for a fight recently. Everything has been so tame since he's been back, not that he was expecting otherwise, but it was getting a little dull.

The Uchiha doesn't pay any more attention to their conversation and hurries to the gymnasium, he's already late. Guy is not very kind to those who are not punctual. As he would say, "you're wasting the glorious daylight hours!"

Sasuke pushes open the doors and, naturally, the room turns to stare at him.

"Mr. Uchiha! Good of you to join us! Slacking off in the halls, were you?" the green-clad man shouts.

Internally cringing, Sasuke makes his way to the locker room mumbling an "I'll go change."

Naruto and his group are still giving him inquisitive looks but he ignores them in favor of entering the room between the bleachers.

He makes quick work of his clothes and exits the door, joining the rest of the class in their run. Tsunade's note may have excused him from the daily activities but not from the "small" warm-up they did beforehand.

Panting, the class completes the laps and takes a breather.

"Sasuke, fifty more laps from you! Maybe it will encourage you to be here on time Wednesday."

Not expecting much else, the Uchiha shrugs and gets started.

He paces himself out enough to where he's finishing up with twenty minutes left of P.E. Not bothering to ask, he makes a visit to the drinking fountain and heads inside to rinse off.

He's finishing up as the rest of the boys loudly enter the locker room. Naruto approaches his side as Sasuke buttons up the dress shirt.

"How come you were late to class?"

He tugs on the jacket. "I got lost."

Naruto gives him an unimpressed stare, apparently trying to read his mind. "I know when you're lying."

"Go change," Sasuke waves the fellow teen off. "You stink."

The blond's eyebrow twitches but gives in.

Sasuke ignores the rest of the room as he folds the gym uniform to make it fit into his bag.

"Hey, Uchiha," a teen near the back calls.

Annoyed, Sasuke gives the brunette his attention. He is about ready to go but needs to stay until Naruto is ready to leave. It's easier to walk with him to the pick-up zone rather than leave separately and linger in some random corner to make sure he gets in the car safely. Might as well indulge his classmate as an excuse to further linger.

"I'm surprised you bothered to come at all, it's not like you're allowed to do participate anyway," the idiotic teen continues.

"Leave him alone," Kiba growls.

Sasuke shoots the dog-lover a surprised glance. He wasn't expecting Naruto's most loyal friend to defend him.

Pity, he was just about to give the guy across the room a verbal lashing.

"Look, I'm not trying to insult anyone," the teen holds both palms in a gesture of peace. "I'm just curious. You look as healthy as a horse, I'd love to have you on my team. What's stopping you from joining in? You did the first day you transferred back."

The room seems to be holding its breath waiting for an answer. Sai stares openly at him while Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto busy themselves with changing but have clearly been wondering the same question.

Sasuke wonders what he should tell them. Technically, he doesn't need to give them an answer at all. Still, if he stays silent, the rumors they'll come up with would continue to embarrass him. Sasuke then contemplates informing them it's because he could accidentally mess one of them up pretty bad. They would only take it as a challenge.

So… should he tell them about his health?

Heart beating faster, he meets Naruto's gaze. There's impatience, frustration, questions.

Licking his lips, he wants to say the words. Naruto deserves to know that Sasuke isn't going to be around forever.

But he's nervous. He doesn't want to see the crushed expression. If that's how Naruto will react. He's always been a little unpredictable, even for Sasuke.

The rooms to have moved on, figuring Sasuke wasn't going to give them an answer.

"I…" he starts and looks down into his bag. Everyone in the room is moving slowly, giving him their attention.

Swallowing, he blurts the rest of it out. "I have health problems."

There. He gave them vague information but they can infer the rest. Now, Naruto knows, too.

"What the fuck, Kagari*?" the blond channels his anger toward the brunette. "What's wrong with you? Why would you ask something like that?"

"Naruto, calm down," Shikamaru rests a hand on the teen's shoulder.

He shrugs it off, quickly grabs his backpack, slams the locker door shut and leaves the room with a huff.

Sasuke exits the room right after.

"I was going to tell you," he says to Naruto's back.

"Were you?"

"Eventually."

Naruto stops mid-hallway and whips around.

" _Why_ are you always so secretive? Getting you to tell me anything is like pulling teeth."

Sasuke keeps silent, letting the other vent.

The blond throws his hands up in the air.

"You always keep everything to yourself! Even when we were kids and we'd stay up all night making wishes on stars, you'd never tell me what you wished for. I realize now that it's not because you were afraid the wishes wouldn't come true. It because you're-" Naruto crushes his lips together to stop himself.

"Because I'm what?"

"You're afraid," he whispers, keeping his eyes down.

"What the fuck do you think I'm afraid of?" Sasuke was being nice and letting Naruto vent but now he's taking it too far.

The anger has left Naruto. Now, he just looks sad. "You're afraid of letting people in."

"I'm not."

"You are! How come you didn't tell me you are sick?"

"Because I didn't want to talk about it!"

"What…" the blond starts, fidgeting with a button on his uniform. "What's wrong with you? I mean, how bad is it?"

At this point, the irritation trickles out of Sasuke's system too. "I'm… fine right now."

"Okay, but for how long?"

A cool breeze runs through the yard, causing him to shiver. "Long enough." Hopefully, he'll be able to see the both of them through high school.

"Sasuke…" There it is, that broken expression that has no business on such a normally cheerful face.

He swallows down the lump in his throat and returns to the previous topic. "You know what I used to wish for?"

"What?" the other looks like he's fighting off the tears.

"That nothing would ever change."

* * *

 **A/N:**

* * *

Ouch, did that last comment kick anyone in the feels as hard as it kicked me? :(

Forgive me for the language! Sasuke has a terrible mouth. I know people who are very sensitive to the derogatory terms he used. I'm sorry if it made you upset. I almost changed it but…anyways, I'm sorry if it was offensive.

*Kagari is from episode 36. He participates in the Chunin exam.

 **Next time:** Don't think this conversation is completely over! A fight scene next chapter! And more feels.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Long Enough

**Chapter 20** : Long Enough

(Monday)

After the unbearable silence in the hallway, Naruto attempts to cheer them both up by inviting Sasuke out to dinner that night.

The Uchiha refuses, already having agreed to meet up with Sora and his gang later.

They go their own way. Sasuke watches the car pick up the blond and meets his mother in her own car. She asks about his day.

"It was nothing special, turned in homework, received more homework, the usual. Tonight, Naruto and I are going to try this new burger joint so I won't be home for dinner," he lies. Sasuke can't exactly tell her he's going out for a fight now, can he?

Excited, she chatters about miscellaneous topics long after they arrive home. Sasuke manages to break away and hide out in his room, stretching and getting ready for the fight.

The time finally comes and he bids goodbye to his parents at 5:30. Jitensha park is a little more central to town, so, Sasuke takes a bus and arrives with a few minutes to spare. The grass, fallen leaves, and colorful trees stretch out for nearly five miles through the middle of the city. The Uchiha makes his way to the most secluded area he knows, hands in the pocket of one of his new jackets to keep his fingers warm from the fall air.

The group, and then some, are huddled under the red canopy of a huge tree near a small clearing with a vacant picnic table. They must have taken Sasuke up on his word and invited more.

He studies them. Large groups are tough, it doesn't matter how many fists you dodge, there are always more waiting to grab you from behind. Fortunately, Sasuke had a few training sessions specifically for large groups. He needed to act fast and take as many down as quickly as possible, not allowing any to get behind him.

But first, "hey," he greets them.

A few grin while others crack their knuckles. Someone in the back twirls a knife. Sasuke notes to stop that one as soon as possible.

"Get him," is Sora's response, wasting no time on pleasantries.

This is just fine with Sasuke. He drops into a defensive stance as the group rushes in.

The first one to arrive is a lanky red-head. The Uchiha bends his knees to avoid a punch, grabs the outstretched arm and lightly snaps the bone.

The teen falls to the ground with a pained cry as a guy with bad teeth takes his place.

Sasuke barely hits him in the stomach, causing the blond to crouch over. The Uchiha follows up with a delicate punch to the jaw, making sure to only use enough strength to stun. He kicks that one aside and steps to the next member: a fool wearing a baggy jacket.

Not even bothering with a hit, he grabs the excess material and roughly throws him to the ground at Bad-teeth, who is attempting to stand. Heads smash against each other, and they both stay down.

Three boys all clad in black step up next. The left one swings an arm, Sasuke ducks down to avoid it and takes hold of the kicking center's foot. Using the momentum, the Uchiha pulls the leg from the guy in the center down and avoids a knee from the guy on the right. Lefty attempts to grab Sasuke's hair. Not having it, he uses a little strength to break the fibula in Center's leg and throw him at Lefty causing them to fall to the ground. Righty attacks, Sasuke stands, knocks the teen's hands away, leaving the chest open and gives him a nice kick to the sternum, causing the other to stumble a few steps before falling.

The next member approaches more cautiously. It doesn't matter. Sasuke takes him out with three quick jabs and steps over to target the one with the knife. The guy doesn't even know how to use it and swings around wildly. Lefty creeps back up on him and Sasuke yanks knife-guy straight into him. The weapon sinks into Lefty's leg who lets out a scream.

There are six left, including Sora and three others who are standing still to observe the fight.

Sasuke shakes his hair out of his eyes and rushes in to the right. Grabbing the back of his opponent's head, he introduces the face to his knee. That guy stumbles but Sasuke keeps a firm clinch on his neck, keeping it center to his own chest because the big, bald dude is approaching from behind.

The Uchiha brings the stumbling teen in the headlock around as a barrier between him and Baldy. The bigger man uses wide hits to avoid hitting his friend. The pathetic punches don't land but his victim in the headlock has regained his senses and goes for a blow to Sasuke's midsection. Done with his shield, he knees him once more, a little harder this time, and tosses him to the ground.

Baldy goes in for another strike, but Sasuke crouches to the ground and sweeps the man's feet out from underneath him. Flailing, he lands nearby and the Uchiha sends a fist into his gut.

There are four left. On the defense now, they crowd around their leader with their slow, and sloppy movements.

Sasuke stands, brushes himself off and takes stalk of his condition.

His heart is beating fast, pumping blood throughout his body. He focuses on his breathing technique, making sure to regulate it even in the heat of the moment. Checking for injuries, his knuckles are a little bloody but most of it isn't even his. Pleased, he notes that he unconsciously has been avoiding getting any blood on his jacket and is still quite clean. His sweatpants are a different story, however. They're black so he might possibly be able to salvage them.

The group is still huddling, wait for Sasuke to give them an opening.

He eyes them for a moment before he notices a stick next to his foot. Sasuke kicks it up, ignoring the gang's flinches. He swings it in an "X". It wasn't his chokuto but it would do.

Now, how to take out the rest? So far, he hasn't inflicted too much damage. A few of them would spend some time in the hospital but they would easily survive. Sasuke could probably get away with going a little further…It's not like the fuckers didn't deserve what was coming to them. Besides, holding back all the time was irritating and they had been bothering him every chance they could get. The Uchiha needed to make an example of them. He wasn't "Orochimaru's Bitch". A warrior, he was a warrior, dammit!

Besides, who knows how many other people they've been bullying. Sasuke would be doing the world a favor by doing some severe damage. And if they happened to survived, the gang would be sure to never bother him again.

He takes a few steps. The fear in their eyes is intoxicating. Sasuke wasn't a victim. He was the predator.

"HEY!" The familiar voice makes him nearly drop the stick.

Sasuke whips around to see Naruto closing in.

What the fuck is he doing here?

Foolishly, the remaining four mistake his surprise for an opening and charge in all at once.

He shifts to a defensive crouch while keeping an eye on the blond. He isn't stopping. Instead, he rushes right in for a swing at Sora's right-hand man.

Frustrated, Sasuke swiftly jumps in and knocks the last subordinate out with a pinch to his neck. He turns to a panting Naruto who is eyeing Sora.

"Why are you here?"

Satisfied Sora wasn't planning on an attack, he turns to Sasuke. "I'm here to help."

"Does it look like I need your help?"

"Ah," uncomfortable, he scratches the back of his head as usual. "Not you. Them." Naruto uses both hands, palms outstretched to awkwardly gesture to the bodies on the ground.

"Are these guys your friends, too?" Sasuke tries to push down the irritation.

"Of course not!" Naruto shouts at the same time as Sora's "fuck no!"

They ignore the teen backed up against the tree, too busy glaring at each other.

After about a minute, Naruto sighs and glances down, pressing his lips together. "You looked like you were going to kill them."

Sasuke realizes with a small amount of shock that he was planning on it. When did this simple fist-fight turn into a slaughter? Yes, he started to feel annoyed that he had to hold back. He knew one hit from him could do some serious damage to their civilian bodies. In the adrenaline rush, he started not to care. That was dangerous. _He_ was dangerous.

Swallowing, he shoves the painful train of thought into the back of his mind and focuses on the conversation. "I was defending myself. They attacked first."

"I believe you."

Sora takes the pause to push off of the tree. Before he can run very far, Naruto quickly tackles the other. "Nuh-uh. You are going to face the consequences of your actions!"

The shorter teen struggles as he and Naruto wrestle on the ground for nearly two minutes. Sasuke, fed up with watching them roll around, throws the stick to the ground and intervenes. Yanking Sora off, he tosses him against the bench, ensuring that the other smashed his head against the metal pole at the bottom.

Naruto sits up. "Not so rough! Besides, I had him."

 _Clearly_. He wisely keeps it to himself and moves onto more important matters. "Are you following me? How did you know we'd be here?"

"I got a text from your Mom. She asked me what time she should pick you up from burger place we were supposed to be at," Naruto give him a pathetic glare. Seriously, he looks like an upset puppy.

Sasuke closes his eyes and remains silent to collect himself.

Naruto keeps talking. "It didn't take much to put two and two together. You were late for gym. When you showed up, you had a suspicious red imprint on your cheek. I knew Sora and his gang had been bothering you." The blond's fists tighten. "I told them to back off. I guess they didn't. Everyone knows they like to lurk in this park at night so I took a wild stab in the dark and ran straight here."

Sasuke takes a moment to search out a guard. If Naruto ran out of the house, he was sure to bring a member of the security team. Whether he knew it or not.

Sure enough, Sasuke senses a staff member hiding out next to a tree right before the clearing. Fortunately, the man is out of hearing range. It was odd that he hadn't jumped in the moment he discovered Naruto's destination. The guy must have recognized Sasuke.

He hopes this doesn't get back to his father.

"Anyway," Naruto catches his attention again. "Did you have to be so violent?" He is standing over an unconscious Sora, peering down.

"Hn."

"I was going to have him call for help." He eyes the groaning guy with a knife in his leg and gives Sasuke a calculating look. "I suppose I'll have to do it now."

The guilt rushes back. He fails to ignore it as Naruto fumbles through the Sora's pockets and pulls out a phone with an "ah-ha!"

"Yes, I'd like to report an accident…My name? Uh, it's...Sora. My crew and I got into a fight. It escalated and things got real bad. We need an ambulance. We're at Jitensha Park, by one of the picnic areas in the back. I have to go now, bye-bye!" he rushes to say before hanging up.

After dropping the device back to the ground next to its owner, he inspects Sasuke for injuries. Seemingly satisfied, he says, "We should leave before anyone shows up."

Sasuke nods, shoves his hands in his pocket and walks off, taking care to avoid the path where the guard hid.

Naruto fidgets, obviously wanting to talk as they power-walk but doesn't find his voice until they exit. "You know…the first time I heard you came back, I wanted to punch you. I spent so long missing you, searching for you, and your cocky self just randomly shows up one day. Right after that regrettable thought, I wanted to hug you. I can't even put into words how relieved I was to see you again. To see you safe. Everybody had been telling me to give up. That it would be easier to accept you were dead. But I couldn't. Your mother and brother couldn't and I'm glad we didn't."

Sasuke watches him rub at the angry skin on his knuckles as they walk down the sidewalk. "I still don't know how to act around you. I'm happy, angry, and sad, all at the same time."

"I know." he felt exactly the same, after all.

"And now," Naruto stops right in front of a local diner. "I'm just sad."

Swallowing, Sasuke concentrates on opening the door doing his best to ignore the resonating emotion.

Catching on to Naruto's subtle hint he decides they might as well go in to eat since that's what he told his mother they'd be doing.

"Earlier today, what did you mean when you said you have 'long enough' left? Time-wise, I mean."

"Do we have to talk about this?" Sasuke mumbles as the hostess shows them to a seat in the back corner. He's glad no one's sitting around them.

"I need to know. It's all I can think about. How much time? What exactly do you mean by 'health problems'? Have you been to Tsunade? She might be able to fix it."

He regrets telling him about his condition. Now, it's all Naruto is going to fixate on.

The waitress approaches and Sasuke puts off his answer to order a coffee, a sandwich, and some water. Unsurprisingly, Naruto asks for hot chocolate and a burger.

As soon as she leaves, he stands up. "I'm going to go wash up."

"Sasuke." Naruto stares up at him. "We're going to talk about this."

"Fine, I'll be right back."

He ventures towards the restroom and goes in. Immediately washing the blood off his shaking hands, he examines his appearance in the mirror. There are faint circles under his dark eyes. In contrast to his pale skin, they make him look very tired. His onyx-colored hair always sticks up a little but he's been trying to grow it out a little to combat the problem. Sasuke smoothes it out the best he can. After splashing some water on his face, he grabs a paper towel to dry off. Is there anything else he can distract himself with, to further procrastinate their conversation?

Another male walks in and Sasuke decides to just get it over with. He's collected his thoughts enough.

He finds his way back to the corner booth and sees that his beverages have arrived in his absence. He sits down and stirs the coffee before opening his mouth.

"You were right. Back there, I wanted to kill them and I might have if you hadn't distracted me."

Naruto flinches.

Sasuke takes a sip and continues. "I almost didn't come back because after everything I've been through, everything I've done, I wasn't sure if anyone would recognize me anymore. How can I expect them to when I don't even recognize myself? Sometimes, I catch them looking at me like they don't."

"You think Sound turned you into a monster," Naruto states, not bothering to ask. He's always been unnervingly good at reading emotions.

The Uchiha sets down the hot drink. "Better a monster than dead."

Yes, it was better to be a monster than to watch his friend and family suffer in a war.

"I..." Naruto trails off, fiddling with a straw wrapper. "I still want to know about your health."

Sasuke props a hand under his chin, trying to delicately form his next words. He's already confessed some of the truth in the heat of the moment. Now, he should smooth it over as best as possible. If he does it properly, Naruto won't bother him about it so much. Ideally. "Sound turned me into a weapon. This body has a price."

" _What_ price?"

"My heart."

"I don't know a lot about cardiovascular things, but can't they just…replace it?" Naruto asks, keeping his eyes on the table.

"Normally that is something they might be able to do. However, mine is modified to keep up with the rest of my body. I need one that is adjusted the exact same way so will continue to perform the precise functions my body needs."

"Eh?" The blond looks up. "That sounds like something Tsunade should be able to study and fix. She's, like, the best doctor in the world."

"She said she'd look into it but the technology used to keep my heart going is very advanced."

"Well, what about the person who operated on you the first time?"

"Dead." Sasuke made sure of that.

"Isn't there anybody who can help? Doesn't a surgery like that take more than one person?"

Naruto looks so optimistic and desperate. Sasuke hates shooting him down. "Two people performed the procedure. As for the other one, we'd have to track Kabuto down but he hates me and won't help even if we paid him."

Sasuke knows that look. Naruto is grabbing hold of that thread of hope and will refuse to let go. "Oh, I see."

It was futile, though. Kabuto would rather die than help Sasuke. Honestly, Sasuke didn't even want to ask the dick for help. He'd already had enough of the man's "help".

The waitress shows up with the food and sets the plates down. The Uchiha contemplates whether he wants to start on the fries or his sandwich first.

"So," he changes the subject. "How's it going with Sakura? I didn't ask how your date went." Actually, it was more like he already knew because his family was sent to the rodeo as well. This was more about changing the topic into something Naruto could get carried away with.

"Ah, we went to…"

Sasuke tunes him out in favor of eating his fries and gazing outside into the darkening sky.

"And then…"

The downtown area is still buzzing with life. Despite the waning sunlight, the citizens continue to walk and laugh along the street, without a care in the world. Everyone was so happy here. Not as many dangers lurked in the dark. What would it take to give Sound such peace? More death? There had already been so much, it was tiresome. Alliances? That was what they were working on right now.

"Are you even listening to me?" Naruto asks after a good three minutes.

Sadly, that didn't last as long as Sasuke hoped it would. "Hn."

"If you don't care, don't ask," Naruto grumbles into his plate.

"I noticed you don't walk her home after school. Isn't that something couples do?"

Naruto finishes the hot chocolate, licking the remaining whip cream off his lip. Sasuke tries to stay focused.

"She has volleyball practice after school. Why do you ask?"

"It just seemed strange, is all." Sasuke slides the last few fries in his mouth.

"Well, what about you? Any girls catch your eye?"

Honestly, no. Sasuke thought he liked both men and woman. After he came back, he noticed that all his female classmates were too soft, too squishy. The women in Sound had defined muscles and a strength that he didn't see much here. Admittedly, he did find Sakura's new body pleasing but she was off limits for obvious reasons. Plus, her obsession with him was a turn-off.

Even though it would be nice to have a person to relieve some stress with, he didn't want to get any hopes up. High School was a bad place for quick hookups. Most teenagers were still in the experimental stage, yes, but that also meant they didn't know what they were doing. Or how to handle the new emotions that came with sex. It was a sticky situation that Sasuke didn't want to put himself into. Double puns possibly intended. "I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

"I respect that. Don't let anyone fool you. It's not it all it's cut out to be." Naruto tosses his crumpled up napkin onto his newly empty plate.

Sasuke's interest spikes. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Not exactly."

The Uchiha waits for him to elaborate. Naruto stubbornly ignores him and piles up their dishes.

Finished with the task, he still avoids Sasuke's gaze and looks toward the window. It's sufficiently dark enough that their reflections sit right next to them.

Suddenly, Naruto randomly cracks a cheek-stretching grin at their counterparts.

"Why do you look so pleased all of a sudden?" Sasuke relents.

"I'm taller than you," the blond could not sound anymore smug.

Sasuke rapidly sits up, closely examining the reflections. "You are not."

"I am too."

"We are the same size," Sasuke defends.

"That's your hair." Naruto's grin widens, if possible.

Sasuke scowls. "Your hair sticks up more than mine!"

The server tentatively approaches and ask about their checks. They tell her it's split and Naruto decides to order a celebratory dessert.

"Sure thing, I'll be right back," the woman walks over to the next table.

Sasuke decides to repeat himself. "No need to celebrate. We are the same size."

"If you say so," Naruto blows a fallen, golden strand of hair out of his eyes. "I was just teasing. All my life, you've been taller. It's nice to finally have caught up."

"Hn."

"Oh, come one, don't be like that."

Sasuke ignores him in favor of watching the waitress set down the black checkbooks onto the table. Right after, she sets a chocolate silk pie in front of his companion. His eyes light up and he licks his lips before picking up the fork.

"Thank you!" he practically shouts before digging in.

"Enjoy," the server hums before leaving again.

"You sure you don't want a piece of this?"

The Uchiha eyes the chocolate smudge decorating the left side of Naruto's bottom lip and wants to wipe it off. With his tongue.

He did, in fact, want a piece of that. He just wasn't referring to the pie.

Instead, he settles with a "no thanks."

* * *

 **A/N** :

* * *

Well, the cat is mostly out of the bag now. I was almost going to push Sasuke's admittance about his health to later chapters but I guess the story had other ideas. It flows better here than if I tried to shove it in later.

The fight scene felt legit in my head but I'm not sure how I easily I was able to convey it. Hopefully, it's alright. I also wanted Sasuke's mindset transition from fighting-to-killing to go smoothly. I'm debating if two paragraphs were enough. These things kind of happen quickly and unconsciously, sometimes without notice.

...Anyway, yay for writing practice.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Naruto

 **Next time** : Sasuke runs away from a cougar, vents a little to Naruto about Sound, and they have a very interesting conversation.

 **P.S.:** To my readers on Fanfction. Net, thank you so, so, much! 100 reviews! I wasn't sure if I would ever see the day. What may feel like a minor accomplishment to some, it is a goal I've always wanted to achieve with my stories. And now the day has come. This chapter is a little longer to show my appreciation.

Also, I'm horrible and replying to comments on this site (much better on A03), but know that I read and appreciate each of every one of them. Once more, thank you!


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: Back-Handed Complime

**Chapter 21** : Backhanded compliments

* * *

(Monday-time skip)

It doesn't take long for Naruto to finish off the pie. He even takes a few seconds to poke his tongue out and lick the small crumbs off the plate.

Sasuke shifts uncomfortably. At this rate, he'll have to go into the bathroom to calm himself down again. Instead, he takes note of the few glances being sent their way.

It wasn't usual for them to be stared at. Whether it be because of their heritage, good looks, or Naruto's loud behavior, Sasuke is used to it.

His roaming eyes make contact with Naruto's other guard. The man sits seven tables over, nursing a coffee. He doesn't look pleased.

Moving on, he watches the restaurant staff scramble around to accommodate the dinner rush. The other booths around them have gradually filled up. The loud children, obnoxious chatter, and clanking plates assault his sensitive eardrums.

He meets the eyes of a woman, who has been staring at him from across the dining room. He sees a spark of lust followed by a mischievous grin. She stands. Sasuke thinks she's about to come over and ask for his number when she slides out a mini notebook and pen from her red purse.

Apprehension turns his gut. Only nine tables remain between them.

"Sasuke?"

"Fuck," he yanks out his wallet and throws some money on the table, nearly twice the amount of their bill. He doesn't care, they need to leave.

"What's wrong?" Naruto frowns.

Sasuke ignores his questions, stands up, and pulls Naruto by his wrist out of the booth.

"What the hell?"

Continuing to ignore Naruto, he calculates a way around the approaching woman. She is blocking the quickest path to the exit.

Sasuke turns them around to go deeper into the restaurant. He makes sure to cross through the tables over to the security guard. "Take care of her, I'll get him home safely."

Not bothering to turn around to see Naruto's expression, he's relieved when he doesn't feel any resistance on the wrist he tugs behind him. They circumvent the large dinner, and exit out the front doors.

They walk past several buildings before Naruto pulls his arm back. He turns around to face the questioning blue eyes.

"You going tell to me what that was all about?"

Sasuke ignores the fading warmth in his hand to give an answer. "She was a reporter."

The blond still looks confused.

"She was going to ask for an interview," he elaborates.

Naruto's puzzled expression soon morphs into amusement. "You ran away from a harmless woman."

"She was a _reporter_ ," the teen reiterates.

"Exactly! What was she going to do? Ask you a question?" the grin is back.

Sasuke wills the creeping heat in his cheeks away. True, it wasn't like she was an assassin but reporters are annoying. They have an incredibly irritating tenacity to stick their noses in places they aren't wanted. Once they get a hold of a story, they refuse to let go and often even blow the article, interview-whatever-out of proportion.

He says so. "They're annoying."

"I think it's good press."

"I think I'm going home," he starts down the block toward a bus station.

"Sasuke, wait up!" Naruto runs after him. "I was only teasing."

"Hn." Sasuke wasn't truly going to let Naruto go home by himself in the rapidly approaching darkness but he is still annoyed and wants Namikaze to know it.

"I'm sorry. It was like I got a glimpse of your old self. It was refreshing, I couldn't help but tease you."

His heart flutters and he slows down his pace.

Naruto, at his side, continues. "You're so serious and quiet all the time now. I miss when you used to do little things like that."

"You should be more wary of people digging for stories," Sasuke eventually relents after they've walked past four more medium-sized buildings.

"So you've always said." Sasuke can hear the smile in his voice. "I appreciate you looking out for me. I really do. It was almost like we were kids again."

"Stop talking."

"I know you missed me too."

"Shut up." Sasuke is more tempted than before to leave him there.

Maybe Naruto can sense that he is more serious this time. Wisely, he changes the subject. "You left a fairly generous tip back there, you getting a big allowance now?"

Technically speaking, his allowance comes from working for his father. The few paychecks he has received have been rather nice. Sasuke wants to save up and buy himself a motorcycle. It shouldn't take too long. By the time winter is over, he should have enough for a large down payment.

"Hn."

"How's uh… how's your family doing?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Just curious."

"They're fine," he shuts down the topic. They haven't been to many therapy sessions yet, but it seemed to make at least two of them happy.

"What about-"

Naruto is interrupted by Sasuke's phone. He doesn't wait for him to finish before picking it up. "Hello?"

"Sasuke! I sent Naruto a text and he never got back to me. When do you want to be picked up? Are you almost finished? How was the food? Are you still hungry?"

Sasuke notices Naruto rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I forgot to get back to her," he mouths.

"We're about finished up, you can come any time. We're on 36th and 11th. If you happen to have more food with you, I won't complain."

"Oh good. I made you some sandwiches. Stay where you are. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Can we give Naruto a ride home, too?

"Of course, but tell him to pay more attention to his phone when others are trying to get ahold of him."

"Yes, Mother. I'll see you in a bit."

"Love you, bye!" She hangs up.

Sasuke follows suit.

"How are you still hungry? You ate a huge-ass burger!" Naruto makes an inaccurate portion size by forming a circle with his arms.

Sasuke shrugs and shoves his phone into his back pocket. Instead, he says: "she'll be here soon."

"I heard."

Sasuke walks up a few steps of a nearby four-story apartment complex. He takes a seat on the cold concrete and pats beside him for Naruto to do the same.

"It's freezing!" Naruto screeches and quickly jumps up.

"Eh," the Uchiha shrugs. The rock beds in Sound were about the same temperature.

"You know…" Naruto starts off quietly. Sasuke can feel the shift in his posture. "I wanted to know-it looked so easy for you-I mean-have you…"

"Spit it out," Sasuke growls, fully aware that he is not going to like where this topic is heading.

The blond keeps his gaze on his feet and whispers, "have you ever killed anyone?"

Despite the evening city bustle, Sasuke hears him. He wishes he hadn't. Images of Kin, Orochimaru, and several screaming enemies flash before his eyes. Each one, so desperate in their last moment.

Before Sound, Sasuke thought himself to be a good person. He did what his parents and brother told him, finished all his homework, took care of his best friend, never picked on any of the other students. He only retaliated when they'd make fun of Naruto. He did all his chores and never ate any snacks before dinner because his mother had instructed him not to.

Then, the rules of the game changed. His life became about survival. He had to make awful choices in terrible situations. He would survive one trial, only to encounter a more difficult one. With every ordeal he'd complete, a small part of him enjoyed the satisfaction of climbing the ranks. Accomplishing things his peers couldn't. He had gone from a starving prisoner to Orochimaru's most prized soldier.

Even with the strict training schedule he was required to keep, he discovered a new freedom. In his two hours each day, he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with whomever he wanted. And, boy, did he want. He was going through puberty and tried as many things as he possibly could. Proving himself, both in bed and in battle, became more and more important. Sasuke's fellow soldiers watched him with a mix of desire and fear. Soon, he started to crave power above everything else. A dangerous distraction for his end goal.

In the end, it was Sasuke that became one of the best there was in Sound. It wasn't his father, nor his brother, but _him_ , the youngest son. The , his family members were not in the same country to compare, but the fact still remains: no other soldier could beat him in a fight. _He_ was Orochimaru's prodigy.

It felt good to be at the very top. His motives might have started because of his need for Orochimaru's focus to be on him, to distract the man away from his home. They didn't stay that way. Gradually, it became more about how far he could advance, what he could accomplish. There didn't seem to be a limit.

Then, he had a rude wake-up call. Until that moment, it had been all too easy to ignore Orochimaru's perverted tastes and learning techniques. The uncomfortable staring was annoying but bearable. The man had never tried to initiate anything with Sasuke minus the subtle patterns and jokes in his speech. Reality came like a slap in the face in the form of a small, blond boy.

For the first time since Kin, Sasuke realized that he was chest deep in the snake pit he threw himself into. He might have ventured into it for others, but they stopped being the reason he stayed. He stayed because he wanted to prove he could survive. Thrive, even.

Stumbling on Orochimaru forcing himself into the blond prostitute, he realized how deep he had allowed himself to sink into the slithering pit. He might have saved his loved one from a scientific sociopath but he put others in their place.

Suddenly, the choice he had to make became very clear. So, he cut off the man's head. At the time, he was overwhelmed by his emotions and didn't care about the political consequences.

The Uchiha didn't feel any regret over his action. Merely the fact that such a careful man dropped his guard down around Sasuke. What did it say about who'd he had become?

Orochimaru considered his captain to be so far out in the darkness that he didn't care that Sasuke caught him torturing a child. A _child_. The scientist was confident that the teen was such a horrible person that he would simply stand by and do nothing. And what had Sasuke, or his identity as Taka, done to prove him wrong? He had Orochimaru so completely fooled that the man allowed himself to be completely vulnerable. The general of Sound's army, the most cautious and meticulous man Sasuke had ever known, didn't give a rat's ass and let him enter the room while he was in such a fragile state. Even with his back faced towards the door, Orochimaru had to have known it was Sasuke because he had summoned him. The scientist's movements even sped up, as if he was getting off on the fact that Sasuke "caught" them in the act. It was all intentional.

Well, Sasuke didn't act according to plan. He proved the man wrong. And right, all at the same time. He wasn't going to idly stand by and watch the sicko hurt any more people when he had the power to stop it after all his training. Not anymore. He did, however, feel great satisfaction at watching the blood spurt all over the floor. There was such a relief in killing this powerful man who had ruined the lives of countless people, such sweet pleasure in ending his era. A euphoria he had never experienced before. And he felt all of this because he had taken a life.

Abruptly, Naruto is crouched down to his level, hands on his shoulders with a fearful expression. "Shit, shit, shit! Sasuke, I'm sorry I asked! It's okay. You're okay. Your home now."

Sasuke hadn't been aware he allowed his emotions to show on his face.

He swallows. "I have. Killed someone, that is."

"We don't need to talk about this." Naruto is still there, his breath smells like chocolate.

"I ended the life of my captor quite violently. I cut off his head." Sasuke didn't intend to add the last detail but it tumbles out of his mouth before he can shove it back down. He doesn't want to admit that he could be in shock. "I told you I was a monster."

"Sasuke," Naruto pulls him into an awkward hug. "It was self-defense. I don't know if he was attacking you or not at the time but he had taken you from your home. Sometimes the only way to fight the darkness is to be in the darkness."

"You wouldn't have killed him." The words are muffled into the jacket. Sasuke doesn't even have the energy to push the other away.

Naruto's grip tightens around the bunched up fabric on Sasuke's back. "I would have. If I had found him, I would have."

"You are saying that to make me feel better," Sasuke has gathered himself together and pushes back from Naruto's warmth. "I took great satisfaction out of it. You would have at least felt guilty."

"Stop putting me on a pedestal!" Naruto's arms retreat around himself, still crouching. "You always do that. I am a human, just like everyone else. I have terrible thoughts about people."

Sasuke frowns. "But you don't act on them. You're different than other people. You put others before yourself. When schoolmates bully you, you're supposed to hate them, not become their friends. You are willing to sacrifice more than what's normal to make others happy. Hell, you even take the blame for your friends when you had nothing to do with the act."

Naruto wants to say something but Sasuke cuts him off. "Don't deny it. These examples are all from past experiences and they're just the ones I've been around for. You don't have to think about which action to take, you always seem to instinctively know the best route. And more often than not, you come up with possibilities that I didn't even know existed."

With red cheeks, Naruto stares at the bush near the set of stairs. "That the nicest thing you've ever said about me."

"Don't get used to it," Sasuke stands up, walks around the surprised Naruto, so he's closer to the street curb. Has it been fifteen minutes yet? Why does he have the annoying habit of being extra chatty around Naruto?

"Feel free to, ya know, keep saying nice things about me." Naruto, ever the social expert, says playfully. He even follows Sasuke and sends a nudge to his shoulder. He knows when enough is enough and excels at leading conversation topics into easier subjects.

"I admire you."

"What?" Naruto exclaims, wide-eyed, clearly not expecting Sasuke to actually continue. "You do?"

Yes, but he'd rather spend a weekend with Guy than admit it for real. "I do. It takes a special kind of idiot to do the things you do. I think you are getting dumber with time. It's a feat I don't see many accomplish. You have such little self-perseverance."

"Bastard," Naruto playfully shoves Sasuke away. "Always with the backhanded compliments."

"I was insulting you."

"I'll take them how I want."

"Once again, this is why you're an idiot." Sasuke shuts down any response Naruto might have had with, "She's here."

He waves his mom over and climbs inside the vehicle once it stops.

"Hey, Mum. It's been awhile," Naruto joins in.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"Naruto," she coos. "It's so good to see you. We might have been able to talk more if you'd respond to your phone."

He puts on his seat belt. "I know, I'm sorry. Blame Sasuke, he distracted me."

Not in the way he would have like to. Instead, he responds, "don't bring me into this."

"Dear, you have just as much fault in this as Naruto. I sent you a few texts as well."

"Blame Naruto. He distracted me," he reverses.

Next to him, the blond splutters. "Oi, it's more your fault than mine."

His mother pulls back into traffic with a smile. "I'm glad to see you two are having fun."

Sasuke takes the chance to retreat to the container of sandwiches in the middle console. He stares at the passing shops as they drive pass while he munches.

Naruto and his mom have no trouble keeping up the conversation in his absence. She even takes the time to invite the blond and his father over for dinner some time as they approach the Firelord's dwelling.

Naruto accepts, "I never turn down a home-cooked meal. Especially from my second mother."

In the rearview mirror, Sasuke notes that his mother doesn't know whether to smile or cry. He takes the pressure off her. "We're at your house. Get out."

"Rude. We just pulled into the driveway. Do you expect me to jump out of a moving car?"

"We're going less than five miles per hour. You'll be fine."

"Sasuke," his mother scolds.

"Well, he would," he mumbles.

"It's okay," Naruto opens the door of the newly parked car. "Thanks for the lift, Mum. Sasuke, I'll see you tomorrow in school."

"Whatever."

The teen only smiles and exits the car, shutting the door behind him. The drive home is much quieter as his mother only chides him for not paying enough attention to his phone. Saying things like, "we bought it for you for a reason" and "I respect your generation's dislike for actual phone calls so I would appreciate if you'd be a little more prompt with your texts."

Sasuke promises to be more careful before they get home. As they exit the car, he notices Naruto forgot the orange scarf he was wearing. Grabbing it, he goes inside, takes off his shoes and heads up to his room. He'll just have to return it to the blond the next day at school.

He wads up the fabric and tosses it on his bed before taking off his dirty pants and throwing them in the hamper. Fortunately, his mother believed his excuse about the blood stains subtly standing out on the black sweatpants. He told her the waitress had dropped some strawberry sauce on his pants. He was sitting the back seat so she didn't get a good look and took his word for it.

Grateful, Uchiha tracks down some fresh pajamas and settles down in front of his television. He decides on a movie and sinks down on his bed.

So far, he hasn't been able to sleep very well on the mattress and still opts for the bathtub. Especially since his parents have been keeping the heat on at night in exchange for the rapidly changing weather. Still, it makes for a nice place to sit to watch the mounted TV on the opposite side of the wall.

With his head propped up against the headboard with a pillow, his eyes wander back to the orange object. He reaches down to touch the soft fabric. The delicately knitted strings of yarn makes him wonder if it was homemade, and if so, by who? Sakura, maybe? Somehow, Sasuke can't picture her having to patience or time to sit down and knit.

Curious, Sasuke's long eyelashes drop down and he inhales the scent. Citrus, lemon, these are distinctly Naruto's smell. He can't pick up anything else off of it.

Gradually, as the movie goes on, his eyelids begin to droop. The day had been long and he his chest is still a little sore from the earlier fight. His current position is nearly perfect to subdue his protesting muscles.

He allows his eyes to completely fall shut, once more bringing the scarf up to his nose. Although the first time had been out of curiosity, Sasuke has to wonder if smelling the scarf a second time makes him a creeper.

No one has to know. He lets out a sigh of relief and slowly drifts off.

* * *

Two weeks go by without any problems or special encounters. Sasuke has even been able to fall asleep in his own bed a few more times with the scarf. He still hasn't given it back yet. He needs to soon, it's starting to lose its scent.

Sasuke reported in with Kakashi last week about Naruto running out of his house. Surprisingly, the Uchiha doesn't get reprimanded for the fight. In fact, the strange man doesn't even mention it and praises him for "finding him" and returning him home safely.

Sora and his gang are still absent from school. Naruto's friends continue to include him in everything they can, much to his annoyance. The students gossip about him, as always, but the whispers are becoming more and more subdued.

His family appointments with Dr. Yamaka have seen a tiny bit of improvement. Not much, but Sasuke is learning new things about his parents and brother with each session. The man encouraged them to spend at least one meal together a day, if possible, and maybe even going out on a family outing once a week. The former has been happening. Itachi makes the drive for the weekends so they at least have dinner together on Friday nights, and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.

He has also received and replied to several texts from members of Taka.

In fact, that's where he finds himself Sunday night, peering down at a message from Suigetsu on the burner phone:

 _Yo! It's been what? Like a month and a half since we've all seen each other face-to-face? Sound is slowly, slowly getting better. The country is still extremely broke but it helps that we don't have Orochimaru channeling all our funds into scientific research anymore. Of course, we also haven't been sending anyone off to steal from other countries… As team Taka, we've offered to go do a few more runs but Kimimaro shut us down. He said we need to "start off on the right foot," or some other nonsense. Naturally, Juugo backed him up mentioning that you'd probably tell us the same thing. So, we still have a lot of debt but we have our best accountants working on solutions._

 _Anyway, since we've pretty much been working non-stop, we decided a vacation is due. What better place to go than the Fire region? I hear it's all the rage. It also helps that the Fire Lord invited Kimimaro and a few of his trusted counselors over for a "chat." Apparently, he's going to pay for us to stay in some fancy hotel._

 _Clear your schedule for a few days. We'll be there November 17th-23rd._

* * *

 **A/N** :

* * *

Ummm...it's been a bit. Sorry guys! I had full intentions to post something every month but working two jobs and going to college is an awful idea. However, the bills don't pay themselves and I've been able to pay off tuition by semester so it's going to be worth it when I graduate. Just, in the meantime, updates may take some time.

In other news, yay, the plot is progressing nicely. Maybe we are at the halfway mark? Possibly? According to my outline, yes. However, "plot bunnies" have an annoying habit of throwing a wrench into my plans. :(

 **Disclaimer** : I am not the original creator of Naruto and the other characters. I'm just weaving another story for them.

 **Next time** : Sound crew doesn't arrive just yet as there's still a week to go but some really interesting things that happen next chapter. For instance, Naruto and Sasuke find themselves in a hot tub. Alone. Well, mostly.


End file.
